How To Negotiate With Liberty Mutual In Oregon
Posted on May 20, 2020 in Car Accident
While Liberty Mutual may be a well-known insurance carrier with catchy commercials that are hard to forget, most people only really interact with their insurance carriers in the event an accident occurs. If you or a loved one had been involved in a collision, you need to know how to negotiate with Liberty Mutual in Oregon. Car accident cases are not easy, and you need to understand that insurance carriers will do what they can to lower the amount they payout in a settlement.
Negotiating steps when dealing with Liberty Mutual in Oregon
Liberty Mutual advertises itself as a company that has the best interests of its policyholders in mind. However, the reality is that many car accident victims in Oregon have reported difficulty when getting Liberty Mutual to compensate them fairly. Negotiating with Liberty Mutual involves several steps, beginning as soon as the accident occurs through the period when a fair settlement offer is made.
File your claim with Liberty Mutual but do not go into detail
Filing your initial car accident claim with Liberty Mutual can be done in a variety of ways, including through their mobile app, on the phone 24 hours a day, or online. The initial claim should be made fairly soon after an accident occurs. However, you do not have to go into detail about the accident when you make an initial claim.
Gather your own evidence
By gathering as much information as possible about the incident and your injuries, you will be able to help your claim. If it is safe to do so at the accident scene, take photographs of everything, including damage to your vehicle, any injuries, and more. Get the names and contact information of any eyewitnesses as well as the insurance information of all drivers involved. Keep records of all medical bills and other out-of-pocket expenses you incur.
Be ready for Liberty Mutual’s claims adjusters
By keeping in mind that Liberty Mutual is a “for-profit” company, you will be better prepared when going up against their claims adjusters. Liberty Mutual claims adjuster may seem incredibly friendly and sympathetic to your case. However, please understand that they work for the insurance company, and they have one goal in mind – to limit the amount of money they pay you in a settlement.
Claims adjusters will do their own investigation into the incident as they work to calculate how much they want to offer. These claims adjusters may do or say things on the phone with you to get you to change your story or admit fault for the incident. Never relay anything other than the facts of the case to an insurance adjuster.
Do not accept the first settlement
Soon after an accident occurs, Liberty Mutual will make an initial settlement offer that will seem incredibly enticing. While it may be tempting to take the first settlement, please understand that the first offer is often far below what you actually should be receiving for the incident. Use the initial offer as the starting point in negotiations.
You may need an attorney to help with a Liberty Mutual claim
You may need help from a skilled Portland car accident attorney to help with your Liberty Mutual claim. An attorney will have the resources necessary to conduct an investigation into the crash and properly calculate your total losses. Your attorney will handle all communication negotiations with claims adjusters so you do not have to.