You may need to get both law enforcement and your insurance provider involved if your car accident is a serious one. That is, if public property was damaged; if you or the other driver incurred serious bodily injuries; if your car or the other driver’s car is damaged to the point where it can no longer safely operate; etc. Further, an insurance adjuster may step in upon your filing of a claim. Read on to discover the role of an insurance adjuster and how a seasoned Landover auto accident lawyer at The The Law Office of Conrad W. Judy III, LLC can help you build a strong claim.
What is the role of an insurance adjuster?
First of all, an insurance adjuster may be employed by a car insurance provider to investigate compensation claims. Otherwise known as a claims adjuster, this individual may investigate the police report conducted at the scene of your accident; the hospital records from the day of your accident; and the extent of your car damages. They may even go as far as interviewing you (i.e., the claimant), the other drivers involved in your accident, and even eyewitnesses who were present at the scene.
Ultimately, an insurance adjuster may consider all these factors to conclude the extent of the car insurance provider’s liability. In other words, they may determine whether you should receive the full extent of compensation you are seeking, if any at all.
What happens if an insurance adjuster finds me at fault for my car accident?
Unfortunately, Maryland is one of the few states that still follows the strict contributory negligence law. This law holds that you may be unable to recover any sort of compensation after your car accident even if you are found to be just one percent at fault. So if an insurance adjuster believes this to be true, your claim may be denied. Alternatively, your provider may have to pay for the other driver’s medical bills and car repair bills, up to the limits of your selected policy.
What’s worse, if you are found to be partially to blame for your car accident, your provider may increase your insurance rate. In the state of Maryland, you may expect your premium to be raised by an average of $1,900, or by an average of 21.5 percent, after an at-fault accident. And this inflated price may be enforced for an average of three to five years.
However, you may rest easier knowing that this increased rate may not be as drastic if this is your first at-fault accident in the past five years or so. The same applies if your violations were not too serious (i.e., you were not under the influence at the time of your accident).
This is all to say that you must consult a competent Landover, Maryland personal injury lawyer before proceeding any further with your insurance claim. So please reach out to The The Law Office of Conrad W. Judy III, LLC today.
