You may be asked to sketch a diagram of the scene of the collision or incident. You may want to prepare such a diagram before your deposition and have your personal injury attorney review it first. Make sure, in your deposition, to state that your diagram is drawn to best of your memory and that you are not an expert on details, measurements, or distances.

You may be asked if you have talked to anybody else about the case. Answer truthfully; it is OK if you answer that you have discussed the case with your attorney, your family, friends, and business associates.

It may be tempting, but do not look to your attorney for assistance in answering unless it has to do with some detail of the litigation. You are only expected to answer questions to the best of your ability, and it is ok if you are uncertain about specifics like dates and times. If your attorney thinks the question is unclear, he or she will interject and assist, but do not rely on that.

If you are considering a personal injury claim, contact experiencedFirstCoastpersonal injury attorney John Fagan for a free initial consultation.

There are some red flags that will make an insurer look closely at your case and possibly refer the personal injury claim to fraud investigation. If your version of how the accident happened has inconsistencies, or if you alter your story of what happened after learning of misrepresentation or fabrication by another person, the adjuster may begin to wonder if your claim lacks genuineness or authenticity.

Adjusters get curious if there were no witnesses to the accident or if the witness accounts conflict with your version or with other witness accounts. They also get curious if a claimant fails to report the injury in a timely manner. If there is a long gap between the date of the accident and the date of your first medical treatment, you can expect the adjuster to be skeptical about your claim.

It also looks suspicious if you have a signed letter of representation from your lawyer dated the same day as or shortly after the accident; it looks opportunistic and as if you were looking for an opportunity to file a personal injury lawsuit.

If you have further questions about how to file a personal injury claim, contact First Coast personal injury attorney John Fagan for a free initial consultation.

For example, insurance companies are very suspicious of claimants who retain a personal injury attorney before the insurer had an opportunity to send an adjuster. While there are legitimate reasons for doing this, the insurance adjusters generally believe that they deserve a chance to work with the claimant at least initially without the “interference” of an attorney.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with retaining an attorney early, but insurance adjusters may get the impression that the claimant might be trying to game the system. The insurance adjuster will likely decide against fast-tracking your case and instead scrutinize the case more than he would otherwise, including going over the claimant’s prior claims history and medical records.

Another instance in which adjusters become suspicious is if the claimant has been involved with an unusual amount of lawsuits before the claim. Insurance companies keep a database that tracks the litigation history of claimants, and if you have been involved with numerous personal injury lawsuits or workers’ compensation claims in the past, you may be flagged as a suspicious claimant. Obviously, this is no proof that you are fraudulent, but you will need an experienced attorney to convince the insurance adjuster otherwise.

Call today for a free initial consultation with experiencedSouth Carolinapersonal injury attorney John Fagan.

If your claim is a complex one that comes in multiple parts, some claims representatives may refuse to pay any parts of the claim until you agree to settle all parts. For example, if you have an auto damage claim as well as a bodily injury claim pending, the insurance representative may refuse to pay out your auto claim until you also agree to pay the bodily injury claim. This puts pressure on you to settle claims quicker for less than you would hope for in order to get your car repaired sooner.

As another tactic, the claims representative may have the claimant use his or her own medical coverage, and then take credit for that coverage before allowing the claimant’s medicals to be paid by the insurance company.

Also, some less scrupulous claims representatives may refuse to offer advance payment for expenses such as food, rent, or living expenses. This puts pressure on the claimant to agree to a settlement earlier and for less than they might otherwise get.

If you have further questions about insurance company tactics, contact First Coast personal injury attorney John Fagan for a free initial consultation.

However, as all experienced Florida personal injury attorneys know, the value of your personal injury claim does not diminish over time. A $50,000 personal injury claim will continue to be worth $50,000, regardless of how long the insurance company stalls.

With an experienced Florida personal injury lawyer on your side, you have the ability to call the adjuster’s bluff and threaten to file suit. It ultimately costs the insurance company a lot more if the claim is allowed to proceed to litigation, with attorney’s fees and all. Such a move will make most insurance adjusters who are simply stalling to reconsider their tactics.

If the insurance adjuster persists with his bluff, an experienced Florida personal injury attorney can simply remind the adjuster that litigation is against both his best interest and yours. Allowing a claim to proceed to litigation typically reflects poorly on the insurance adjuster. The extra time a lawsuit takes will severely decrease the adjuster’s turnover, which may cause the adjuster’s caseload to become extremely burdensome. The key is to show the adjuster that bluffing is an extremely bad idea.

This is just one of many situations where having an experienced Florida personal injury attorney on your side will make a significant difference. Call Florida personal injury attorney John Fagan today for a free initial consultation.

There are several things a good First Coast personal injury attorney can do to accomplish this. The attorney will provide all the information an adjuster needs in order to justify the requested settlement offer, so that they can work together to resolve the claim. Adjusters are often overloaded, so your attorney should carefully write out a detailed request for all items of damage being claimed.

Another sign of a good attorney is that he or she performs beyond expectations. If the claims adjuster wants a narrative medical report from your treating physician, a good plaintiff’s attorney will go further and make sure to include legible nursing notes and other documentation to support the medical report. Sometimes, these notes or a hospital log can prove even more valuable than the narrative medical report. Nursing notes in the form of a diary showing progress (or lack thereof) of your recovery and complaints can make an even stronger case.

Furthermore, a good plaintiff’s attorney will anticipate the needs of the claims adjuster by sending a total amount sooner rather than later. The sooner the claims representative is given a dollar figure, the sooner they can set the appropriate reserve so the money is available when the claim is due to be paid.

If you have further questions, contact dedicated First Coast personal injury attorney John Fagan for a free initial consultation.

Additionally, your attorney may be aware of certain statutes, case law, ordinances or legal standards that are applicable (good or bad) in your case. Nonetheless, if there are laws that strongly support your case, your attorney can cite to those in his or her argument, and accordingly, the settlement value may be enhanced.

Keep in mind, though, that it oftentimes can take years before you are able to be heard in court. For instance, if it takes three or four years to go to trial in your jurisdiction and your case is already two to three years old, it will be very hard for a jury to have compassion for a litigant who may have suffered pain from a soft tissue injury that lasted for six months or so several years prior to his or her testimony.

All in all, your final settlement figure will be based on a variety of factors and it is rare that all of those factors will line up in your favor. One factor can make or break you when it comes to the ultimate value of your settlement. If you need a First Coast personal injury attorney, please call John Fagan for a free consultation.

When dealing with high-profile, large, national insurance carriers, keep in mind that they tend to have very conservative philosophies. The adjuster is likely to share that philosophy and be loyal to the company. If you have a lower- or mid-tier adjuster, they have very limited authority and report to a claims manager or supervisor, so you will really be dealing with the conservative mindset of his boss. Adjusters for such conservative carriers do not cut corners and have no problem spending time poring over your claim, researching prior medical treatment, reviewing your tax returns, and scrutinizing your wage history. Additionally, such adjusters are typically not sympathetic to documentation about pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. They prefer to deal with hard figures and objective data about what you have lost.

Adjusters from small, local carriers might be conservative in negotiations for a different reason: they are such small companies that they have a much smaller premium pool to use in settlements. A $30,000 or $40,000 case may be large to them.

If you have further questions about how to deal with your insurance company following an accident, contact experienced First Coast personal injury attorney John Fagan for a free initial consultation.

Certain insurers are known to seldom settle small-to-medium-range personal injury cases for a reasonable amount. It is usually a waste of time to continue settlement negotiations with these companies without filing a lawsuit, as they will probably only respond to litigation. Litigation and verdicts are the only things these carriers will take seriously.

If your case is a soft-tissue injury case and you don’t have substantial objective medical evidence for your injuries, or your medical bills include chiropractic treatment, expect the insurers to offer only a token amount for your pain and suffering. The claims adjuster will make sure to scrutinize everything in your file, and their settlement offer likely won’t be any higher than your medical bills and lost wages. It is usually a waste of time for your attorney to try to convince the insurance company to make a more reasonable settlement offer. Instead, your attorney may opt to go directly to a lawsuit after the initial investigation and preparation.

To some extent this depends on the reputation of your attorney as well. Attorneys who are known to settle quickly and often will receive lower settlement offers than those known to be good litigators.

If you have further questions about how to deal with your insurance company, contact First Coast personal injury attorney John Fagan for a free initial consultation.

There are several things that a good attorney does to facilitate this. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the better your attorney is able to work with the claims representative, the more the representative will be inclined to see your side and agree to a settlement. Your attorney should clearly communicate to the insurance company his theory of liability and provide full documentation of any allegations of monetary damages. Giving a “current” evaluation of your injury claim and providing the basis for that opinion might help.

Your attorney might also try alternative means of resolving disputes before the case proceeds to costly litigation in front of a jury. Professional mediators and arbitrators are readily available and may be preferable to going to trial.

Most importantly, a good personal injury attorney will establish a professional relationship with the claims representative by being willing to meet with the representative at his department, the attorney’s office, or another meeting place. Insurance companies do not encourage adjusters to leave the office for meeting attorneys and claimants, as it takes a lot of time out of their day; however, your case may be helped by meeting with the adjuster face to face.

If you have further questions about how to deal with your claims representative, contact experienced First Coast personal injury attorney John Fagan for a free initial consultation.