When you seek compensation for a car accident, you will be dealing with the liable driver's insurer. If you sue for a slip and fall accident, then the property owner's insurance gets involved. If you file a medical malpractice lawsuit, then it is the medical professional's insurance you are going after in reality. Whatever injury claim you need to pursue, chances are, you will working with an insurance adjuster. Keep reading to learn more about an insurance company's involvement in your claim.

The Insurance Adjuster's Goals

Insurance companies deploy adjusters to evaluate your claim, but as they do so from the vantage point of the insurer, they are looking to save the company money, not to award you the most compensation possible. At the same time, an insurance adjuster really, really does not want your case to go to a lawsuit. If you cannot reach a settlement with an insurance company, you can take your case to court through a costly civil lawsuit. While this carries risks for you as well, this process definitely poses a risk to an insurance company; there is often no telling how a jury or judge will decide a case.

Calculating the Offer

The adjuster is going to want to give you the lowest possible settlement that will keep the company out of court. This means that when negotiations start, the adjuster will probably have a figure in mind for the highest amount they are willing to offer you, but the negotiations will start with an offer that could as much as half of that amount. What goes into the adjuster's calculations? They will calculate off of factors that include:

• Your medical costs and other expenses, even into the future
• How much you lost in wages or income
• Damages for physical and emotional suffering

When it comes to pain and suffering damages, an adjuster could do one of two things. They could calculate this offer based off of adding up an estimated award for every day the injury lasted. Or they could multiply your actual costs (medical bills and lost wages) with a multiplier, one that is usually somewhere along 1.5 to 5.

Then there are policy limits. If, for example, a driver is only covered up to a certain amount of your damages, you can only receive that much from an insurance claim. Then another matter that enters into these calculations is how good your case is. If your case is not that strong, then it may be in your favor to accept a somewhat lower settlement, since your odds in court may not be that good.

Winning Your Personal Injury Claim

With all this in mind, there are a few things you can do to give yourself a better chance of getting the maximum settlement you are owed. One of the main steps is hiring a personal injury attorney; an insurance company is likely to take your claim more seriously if you have a qualified legal advocate with you. A personal injury lawyer should also know your rights, and can further identify when you have room to negotiate for a higher settlement, or when you are getting offered a fair deal.

And of course, you will need plenty of proof. Pictures, medical records, more medical records, missed pay, and related bills could all be vital pieces of your case. The best way to protect yourself from the tactics of an insurance company is to truly understand what you are entitled to, and to gather lots of evidence on your side. To learn more about how to successfully negotiate with an insurance company, be sure to call a personal injury lawyer on our directory today!