How Insurance Adjusters Valuate Minor Injuries
Insurance adjusters will determine the amount of the offer based on their valuation of the various aspects of medical treatment. Ask your New Jersey accident lawyer to review your medical records to determine if your injury could result in a settlement offer.
Medical Treatment Rendered
Active medical treatment is often not necessary for certain soft tissue injuries. A physician would usually prescribe simple treatments of regular regimen of rest, heat, and analgesics for such injuries. Adjusters will argue that the lack of concentrated medical treatment in such cases proves that claimant did not actually suffer any injuries. Your New Jersey accident lawyer should be able to explain your injuries, the lack of extensive medical treatment notwithstanding.
Location of Treatment
The adjuster will note the location where the medical treatment took place. The adjuster will be more inclined to acknowledge the degree and cause of the injury if the initial medical examination occurred in the hospital emergency room, and if any part of the treatment is provided in a hospital. Hospitalization of the claimant, even for a brief observation purposes, is usually enough to convince the adjuster that the claimant was indeed injured, and the injury was significant as alleged.
Duration of Treatment
The adjusters will consider the duration of the claimant’s medical treatment. Significant injuries would obviously require more extensive periods of medical treatment compared to less serious injuries. An increase in the length of treatment may also increase the value of the claim, which potentially gives a claimant incentive to receive long periods of expensive treatment he or she may not need. Such rationale is sound and difficult to dispute by your New Jersey accident lawyer, but the adjusters can nevertheless draw false conclusions from lengthy period of treatment.
If you were recently injured in an accident and seeking compensation, please call the law offices of New Jersey accident lawyer Gerald Clark at (877) 841-8855 for a free consultation.