Three Things We Know About PI Claims That You May Not Know

At Boteler, Finley & Wolfe we’ve been helping personal injury victims present and prosecute their insurance claims for 29 years. We’ve helped thousands of victims recover the full and complete compensation they are owed and most of these claims were settled without ever having to file a lawsuit! Why is that? Because we know and understand three very important factors for recovering full and complete compensation for personal injury claims. Those factors are: Reserves, Computers and Attitudes. Knowing and understanding these three factors allows us to insure our clients get the full and complete compensation they are entitled to!
RESERVES: In insurance jargon “reserves” is the amount of money an insurance adjuster estimates will be required to settle an injury claim. Because money held in reserve to pay claims is not invested in the stock market or bond market, adjusters are under a lot of pressure to keep reserves low so investment profits can be maximized by the insurance company. Yet if an adjuster has “under” reserved a claim, there’s a very good chance the claim will not settle for its true value. At Boteler, Finley & Wolfe, we understand how and when reserves are set and adjusted and we know what information is needed by the adjuster to adequately set the reserves for our clients’ claims.
COMPUTERS: Or more specifically computer assisted claim evaluation programs. Almost every major insurance company uses a computer program to “assist” with the claim evaluation process. Adjusters are required to input data known as “value drivers” into the program. These value drivers can push the “value” of the claim up (positive) or down (negative). Most insurance companies use similar programs and have similar value drivers and most have specific requirements as to when the adjuster can or should input a value driver. These input requirements can be technical and stringent.  This is especially true if the value driver adds value to the claim. Negative value drivers can be overridden or deleted if certain information is included with the claim material. Mark Wolfe at Boteler, Finley & Wolfe has been lecturing and teaching lawyers and medical providers about computer assisted claim evaluation programs for over 15 years! His expertise in this area allows us to make sure all positive value drivers are identified and included in the claim material for our clients and any negative value drivers are minimized or excluded.
ATTITUDES: Did you know insurance adjusters are trained to believe that almost all personal injury claimants are lying, faking or exaggerating their injuries simply to recover “undeserved” compensation? Adjusters go to classes and seminars on “opportunistic fraud” so they can learn how to identify these fraudulent claims. They are given factors to look for when handling a claim to rate the claimants “veracity.” This rating is then factored into the evaluation process. Obviously, if the adjuster thinks a claimant is not honest, the settlement offer will reflect that belief. The truth is many of these veracity factors are so open and vague, it allows adjusters to lump honest claimants in with the dishonest claimants. At Boteler, Finley & Wolfe we only want to represent honest claimants who are truly deserving of compensation for their injuries. To that end, our claim presentation protocol includes several things that accentuate the honesty and truthfulness of our clients and the legitimacy of their claim.
So there you have it! Three important factors that can be the difference between getting full and complete compensation for your injury claim and just taking what the insurance company offers. If you don’t have a lawyer who understands these factors and knows how to utilize and incorporate them into your claim, you may be shorting yourself of the full benefits you are owed. Call us today for a free consultation. 251 433-7766 or get more helpful information about personal injury claims from our web site: www.bfw-lawyers.com (Note: our new and improved web site is under construction. In the interim, please visit our old site.)

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