After an accident that results in injuries, insurance adjusters often become the primary point of contact for discussing your claim and potential compensation. These professionals may seem helpful and concerned about your well-being, but it’s important to understand that adjusters work for insurance companies whose primary goal is to minimize claim payouts and protect their bottom line. While adjusters may present themselves as neutral parties working to resolve your claim fairly, their financial incentives are fundamentally opposed to your interests as an injured party seeking full compensation for your damages.

At Mintz Law Firm, our experienced attorneys have dealt with insurance adjusters for decades and understand the tactics they use to minimize claim values. With over 35 years of experience representing injured people throughout Colorado and $20M+ recovered annually for clients since 2016, we know how to protect our clients from adjuster tactics while securing the full compensation they deserve for their injuries.

The Role and Motivations of Insurance Adjusters

Insurance adjusters are employed by insurance companies to investigate claims, evaluate damages, and negotiate settlements. While they may present themselves as neutral fact-finders, adjusters are ultimately accountable to their employers and are evaluated based on their ability to resolve claims for as little money as possible.

Adjusters receive training in claim investigation techniques, negotiation strategies, and methods for minimizing payouts. Their job performance is often measured by how much money they save their companies through reduced settlements and denied claims, creating inherent conflicts with injured parties seeking fair compensation.

Financial Incentives

Insurance companies operate as for-profit businesses that must balance claim payouts against premium income to maintain profitability. Adjusters who consistently settle claims for lower amounts may receive promotions, bonuses, or other rewards that reinforce their motivation to minimize settlements.

Company Policies

Many insurance companies have internal policies and guidelines that establish maximum settlement amounts for certain types of injuries or require supervisor approval for settlements above specific thresholds. These policies may prevent adjusters from offering fair compensation even when they recognize that claims deserve higher settlements.

Training and Tactics

Adjusters receive extensive training in negotiation tactics, claim evaluation methods, and strategies for reducing settlement amounts. This professional training gives them significant advantages over unrepresented claimants who may be unfamiliar with the claims process.

Common Tactics Used to Minimize Claims

Insurance adjusters employ various tactics designed to reduce claim values, delay settlements, or encourage claimants to accept inadequate compensation. Understanding these tactics helps you recognize when adjuster actions may not be in your best interests.

Quick Settlement Offers

Adjusters often contact accident victims within hours or days of incidents, offering quick settlements before victims have time to understand the full extent of their injuries or consult with attorneys. These early offers typically focus only on immediate expenses and ignore long-term consequences or complications.

Recorded Statements

Adjusters frequently request recorded statements from claimants, claiming these statements are necessary for claim processing. However, these recordings can be used to contradict later testimony or to highlight inconsistencies that undermine claim credibility.

Medical Record Requests

Extensive medical record requests may go far beyond what is necessary to evaluate accident-related injuries. Adjusters may seek records dating back years before accidents, looking for pre-existing conditions or other information that could be used to dispute current claims.

Delay Tactics

Adjusters may unnecessarily delay claim processing, request redundant documentation, or require multiple medical examinations to create financial pressure that makes claimants more willing to accept lower settlement offers.

The Limitations of Adjuster Damage Evaluations

Insurance adjusters use standardized formulas and company guidelines to evaluate claims, but these methods often fail to account for the unique circumstances of individual cases or the full extent of accident-related damages.

Adjusters typically focus on easily quantifiable damages like medical bills and lost wages while minimizing or ignoring pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other non-economic damages that can represent significant portions of claim values.

Standardized Formulas

Many insurance companies use computer programs or standardized formulas to calculate settlement offers based on injury types, medical expenses, and other factors. These automated systems cannot account for unique circumstances that may increase the value of individual claims.

Limited Medical Understanding

While adjusters receive training in claim evaluation, they typically lack the medical knowledge necessary to fully understand complex injuries, treatment requirements, or long-term prognosis. This limitation can result in the undervaluation of claims involving serious or complicated medical conditions.

Ignoring Future Consequences

Adjuster evaluations often focus on immediate expenses and short-term consequences while failing to adequately consider future medical needs, long-term disability, or the ongoing impact of injuries on victims’ lives and earning capacity.

Making Informed Decisions About Your Claim

Mintz Law Firm provides independent evaluation of injury claims and aggressive representation designed to secure fair compensation rather than quick settlements that benefit insurance companies. Our attorneys understand adjuster tactics and negotiation strategies, and we work to level the playing field for injured parties who deserve full compensation for their damages. We handle all personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we successfully recover compensation for your injuries.

Contact our experienced attorneys today at (303) 462-2999 or through our contact form to discuss your case and learn why you shouldn’t rely solely on insurance adjusters for guidance about your injury claim.