“Before you talk to the at-fault insurance company and their adjuster, talk to your insurance provider first. They may have valuable advice for you, and they are there to defend you in the accident and provide you with resources you may not know you have. For example, you may have collision coverage that can expedite the repair of your car. You might have to cover the deductible for this coverage, but you will get reimbursed if you are cleared from blame. Your insurance provider will then go after the at- fault provider for reimbursement so you do not have to.”

Want to read more? See our complete Personal Injury Settlement Booklet.

MSN.com posted an article this week entitled 5 things never to tell your insurer. The first two really have more to do with home owners insurance and health/life insurance, but 3, 4, and 5 are directly applicable to auto accidents. From the article:

5. ‘Whiplash’

Whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders represent a wide range of injuries caused by a sudden distortion of the neck.

Insurance companies often associate the term with exaggerated or fraudulent claims, so saying, “I have whiplash,” could delay the payment process.

Refer to your injuries in medical terms if you can, or wait until your doctor makes a diagnosis.

Remember, the insurance companies are in the business to make money. They can make more money in profits by paying out less money in insurance claims. Be careful in what you choose to say to the insurances companies and how you choose to say it. If you say the wrong things, you will hurt the value of your claim. If you are unsure how to answer a question from the adjuster, tell him that you will let him know the next time you speak to him and politely end the call. Then find some resources on our site or on the internet that answers the question for the adjuster and the next time you speak with him, you will be prepared to say the right things.

Adjusters are highly trained to do one thing, get you to sign a release. You are emotionally invested in the accident because you are the one that has been negatively affected by the car crash. When the two sides meet in the middle, sparks can fly.

Letting your emotions dictate your negotiations is a sure fire way to lose your battle against the insurance adjuster. If you lose your cool and start making this a personal battle with the adjuster, you will never get what you are looking for. All too often people end up having to call an attorney because they just couldn’t get anywhere with the adjuster on their own. More often than not, the reason they couldn’t get anywhere with the adjuster was because the adjuster got under their skin and they lost their cool. Once that happens, negotiations stop because both parties dig their heels in and neither one wants to concede to the other.

When negotiating with the adjuster, keep your emotions checked at the door. If you feel your temperature rising, politely end the call and take a couple of days before calling the adjuster back. If you just can’t work with the adjuster, call his supervisor and ask for your file to be transfered to a new adjuster. If you are still having problems with a second adjuster, the problem is likely you. You may be the kind of person that just can’t keep their emotions in check and that’s OK, you’ll just need to hire someone to do your negotiating for you.

The last holiday weekend of the summer is here. With it comes all the good things we love about summer. Barbecues, college football and unfortunately, drinking. I thought I would take a minute to help you navigate the tricky waters of a being hit by someone that was DUI.

Let me be clear, this is not for someone who is DUI to find out tricks on how to get off with the least penalty possible. I despise DUI’s and frankly, I have no sympathy if you choose to drive under the influence. This post is designed to give tips to those hurt by DUI’s a little more leverage to get greater compensation.

If you take a DUI case to court, the judge will instruct the jury to award what is called punitive or exemplary damages. This is defined as compensation in excess of actual damages. That means the jury is instructed to penalize the DUI defendant extra just because he was DUI. This is to send a message to the DUI defendant that what he did was more than just an accident, but his actions to drive under the influence are socially wrong.

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