An injury from a car accident in Central Missouri can completely disrupt your life. You’re likely grappling with feelings of confusion and overwhelm, compounded by concerns about medical expenses and lost wages.
The last thing you need is a struggle with the insurance company.
While an insurance adjuster may seem sympathetic and helpful, understand this crucial point: their core responsibility is to safeguard their company’s profits by minimizing your payout, not to ensure you receive fair compensation.
Knowing the adjuster’s playbook is your first line of defense. At Price & Randle Injury Attorneys, we deal with these tactics every day. Here are five common strategies insurance adjusters use to devalue your Missouri injury claim, and how a local attorney protects you from them.
1. The Quick-Settle, Low-Ball Offer
The Tactic: The adjuster contacts you very quickly—often within days of your accident—and offers a surprisingly small amount of money (e.g., $500 or $1,000) to resolve your claim immediately. They pressure you by saying the offer is “time-sensitive” or “the best you’ll get.”
The Problem: An early offer is almost always a fraction of what your claim is truly worth. Within the first few days, you likely haven’t finished diagnostic testing, may not know the full extent of your injuries, and certainly haven’t completed treatment. Accepting this offer forces you to sign away your right to seek any future compensation, even if your injuries turn out to be far more serious and expensive later on.
Your Defense: Never accept a settlement offer until you have reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), meaning your doctors have determined the full scope of your injuries and future needs. Simply state that you are still receiving treatment and are unable to discuss settlement at this time.
2. Requesting a Recorded Statement
The Tactic: The adjuster will call and ask for a recorded statement about the accident, claiming it’s a routine, mandatory step. They sound friendly and tell you it’s just to confirm the basic facts.
The Problem: This request is a trap. The adjuster is trained to ask open-ended or leading questions designed to elicit statements that hurt your claim. They may try to get you to:
- Minimize your injuries (“How do you feel today?” If you say “Fine,” they record that you are not injured).
- Admit to partial fault (which is critical in Missouri, as explained below).
- Create inconsistencies that can be used against you later in court.
Your Defense: You are not legally required to give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Politely decline and state that all future communications must go through your attorney. If you retain Price & Randle, we handle all communications—you won’t have to speak to the adjuster again.
3. Claiming You Were Partially or Mostly At Fault
The Tactic: The adjuster will shift blame back onto you. They may cite minor factors, such as “driving too fast for conditions” or “not reacting quickly enough,” to argue that you caused or contributed to the crash.
The Local Legal Relevance (Missouri Law): This tactic is especially powerful in Missouri because of our Comparative Negligence Law (RSMo $\S$ 537.765). Under this law, your final compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. If the adjuster successfully convinces a jury that you were 25% at fault, your $\$100,000$ settlement is reduced to $\$75,000$. If they can argue you were 100% at fault, your claim is worth $\$0$.
Your Defense: A detailed, independent investigation is necessary to counter this. Our attorneys work with accident reconstruction experts and use evidence (photos, videos, police reports, witness statements) to establish the other driver’s full responsibility, protecting your claim’s value under Missouri law.
4. Downplaying Your Injuries and Medical Treatment
The Tactic: The adjuster will dismiss your injuries as “soft tissue” or “minor.” They may suggest you waited too long to see a doctor, missed appointments, or that your injuries are related to a pre-existing condition, not the accident.
The Problem: This is a direct attack on your damages. If they can convince you or a jury that your treatment was excessive or unnecessary, they can deny payment for those medical expenses, reducing your overall claim value. They often try to get access to your entire medical history to find an unrelated injury they can blame.
Your Defense: Always seek immediate medical attention after an accident and follow your doctor’s orders exactly. Document everything. When you hire Price & Randle, we carefully manage what information is released to the insurance company and work with your doctors to clearly establish the link between the accident and your injuries.
5. Waiting Until the Statute of Limitations Looms
The Tactic: If they cannot get you to settle quickly, adjusters may simply drag their feet. They take weeks to return calls, demand excessive paperwork, and generally delay the process.
The Local Legal Relevance (Missouri Law): For most car accident injury claims in Missouri, the Statute of Limitations is five years (RSMo 516.120). If you do not file a lawsuit before this five-year deadline expires, you permanently lose your right to pursue compensation—no matter how strong your case is. The adjuster knows this and uses the approaching deadline as leverage.
Your Defense: This is one of the most critical reasons to hire an attorney quickly. We immediately protect your claim by tracking the deadlines and, if necessary, prepare and file a lawsuit to preserve your rights well before the statute of limitations expires. This shows the insurance company that we are serious and willing to fight in court.
Why Hiring Price & Randle Makes the Difference
When you are fighting for recovery (both physical and financial), you shouldn’t have to play the adjuster’s game.
At Price & Randle Injury Attorneys, we serve as your shield and your sword. We:
- Handle All Communications: We take over every phone call, email, and negotiation, ensuring you never have to speak to the adjuster or worry about making a mistake.
- Establish Full Value: We meticulously investigate your case to determine the true value of your damages, including future medical needs, lost earning capacity, and pain and suffering.
- Fight for the Max: We use our deep knowledge of Missouri law to counter every single one of the tactics listed above, fighting for the maximum compensation you are entitled to.
You focus on healing; we’ll handle the battle.
Contact Your Trusted Central Missouri Advocates
Don’t let the insurance company control the narrative of your injury. If you have been injured in an accident, time is not on your side.
Call Price & Randle Injury Attorneys or visit PriceRandle.com today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
