The at-fault party’s insurance company will assign an insurance adjuster to your case shortly after learning about the accident. The insurance adjuster will immediately begin to conduct an investigation to determine how the accident occurred and who is responsible for your injuries. Here’s how insurance adjusters investigate car accidents:
Talk to Both Parties
First, the insurance adjuster will attempt to make contact with both parties involved in the accident. The goal of making contact with each party is to hear each driver’s side of the story and learn more about how the accident occurred.
Personal injury attorneys typically recommend that clients do not speak to insurance adjusters without an attorney present. Be sure to speak to an attorney before agreeing to answer an insurance adjuster’s questions.
Review the Police Report
Next, the insurance adjuster may obtain a copy of the official police report of the accident. The police officer that responds to the scene of the accident asks each party questions about the crash and then summarizes these statements in a police report. The insurance adjuster will review the police report to look for inconsistences in either party’s story.
The insurance adjuster will also read through the police report to see if the responding officer came to a conclusion as to who was at fault for the accident. If the police officer concluded that the insurance company’s policyholder was to blame for the accident, the insurance adjuster may decide to make an offer to the victim for his injuries.
Analyze Evidence From the Scene
The insurance adjuster can also determine liability by analyzing evidence from the scene of the accident. Looking at photos of the property damage and interviewing witnesses who saw the accident can help them learn more about the events leading up to the accident. This evidence may be used to prove which party is liable.
Check Medical Records
If the insurance adjuster believes his policyholder is to blame, he will ask the victim to submit his medical records so he can verify the victim’s injuries. Insurance adjusters will look for ways to poke holes in the victim’s case. For example, if the victim waited two days to see a doctor after the accident, the insurance adjuster may question if the injuries were actually sustained in the crashed. If the insurance adjuster is able to verify the injuries, the process of negotiating a settlement with the victim will begin.
If you have been injured in a car accident, seek legal representation from the personal injury attorneys at Reisch Law Firm. The insurance adjuster’s goal is to resolve your case for as little as possible, but we won’t allow this to happen. Schedule a free consultation today by calling 303-291-0555 or filling out this online form.
