The Insurance Adjuster is Not Your Friend

The insurance adjuster's job is to pay you as little as he can, and save his company money!

As a Houston car accident attorney, a phrase I hear far too often is, "The insurance adjuster seemed so nice... I thought I could trust them."

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Unfortunately, this phrase is always followed by an explanation of how the adjuster has tried to (and in some cases succeeded to) take advantage of the accident victim.

If you have been involved in a Houston car accident, you will likely have to deal with an insurance adjuster at some point in the claims process. The vast majority of our firm's clients hire us after they have realized that the insurance adjuster is not going to treat them fairly, and or the insurance adjuster is not going to offer them a reasonable settlement. (Note: The sooner a lawyer becomes involved in your case, the greater the likelihood of a high dollar settlement.) More often than not, the accident victim does not realize that they are being taken advantage of until it is much too late because the insurance adjusters are nice to them and the accident victim has no idea that they are being led into a trap.

In my 20 years of practicing this type of law, one thing remains certain:

THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER IS NOT YOUR FRIEND!!!


Some of Our Most Recent Successful Cases
$210,000.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Neck Injury Requiring Surgery)
Our client was injured in a motor vehicle accident when an employer driving a company vehicle failed to yield the right of way and collided with the plaintiff's vehicle. The defendant's employer was sued for negligence soon thereafter. The defendants alleged that the company should not be held liable for the actions of the employee.

They claimed that the employee was not in the course and scope of his employment at the time of the accident. Through discovery, our attorneys learned that the defendants had a policy, both written and implied, whereby employees of the company were allowed to drive work vehicles after hours.

Furthermore, our attorneys argued case law that expanded the definition of course and scope which showed that the defendant was indeed "on the clock" when the accident occurred.

As a result, the defendants conceded liability and turned their defenses toward the alleged damages. They claimed that our client had a preexisting condition that was responsible for her current state.

We deposed the emergency room physician who assessed the client and recommended surgery regarding the medical necessity of the surgical procedure and the proximate cause of the plaintiff's condition. He testimony unequivocally defeated these arguments. The case was satisfactorily resolved through litigation.
Total Recovery:
$210,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$70,110.00
Litigation Expenses:
$3,787.00
$95,035.00 Recovery - Wrongful Death / Automobile Accident
Recovery for the father of a young man who was killed in a car accident.
Total Recovery:
$95,035.00
Attorney Fees:
$31,678.00
Litigation Expenses:
$25.00
$80,000.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Closed-Head Injury)
Recovered for client who suffered a closed-head injury in a car accident.
Total Recovery:
$80,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$26,666.00
Litigation Expenses:
$200.00
$41,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries)
Recovery for client who suffered soft tissue injuries when she was struck by an 18-wheeler.
Total Recovery:
$41,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$13,666.00
Litigation Expenses:
$135.00
$125,000.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries)
Recovery for homemaker injured in car wreck.
Total Recovery:
$125,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$50,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$1,261.00
$109,500.00 Recovery - Third-Party Dram Shop Accident (Broken Leg)
Recovery for passenger who suffered broken leg in a drunken driving accident.
Total Recovery:
$109,500.00
Attorney Fees:
$41,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$30.00
Confidential Recovery - Wrongful Death / Commercial Vehicle Accident
(policy limits) Our firm was hired by the wife and children of a retired Army Colonel who was killed in an underide 18-wheeler accident. In addition to being a decorated veteran, the decedent worked both professionally and on a voluntary basis to establish numerous learning institutions and vocational programs for at risk youths. The accident occurred as the decedent was traveling on a rural highway when an 18-wheeler failed to yield the right of way and made a rolling stop through a stop sign.

This placed the trailer of the 18-wheeler in a position whereby it blocked the entire roadway and shoulder, leaving the decedent no option but to collide with the trailer. Witnesses on the scene attempted to revive him but to no avail. Furthermore, while two female eye witnesses struggled to pry open the decedent's door to provide emergency care, the truck driver stayed in his truck and offered no assistance. Despite what appeared to be an incredibly apparent case of negligence on behalf of the defendant, defense counsel refused to accept liability resulting in rather lengthy litigation.

The defendants initially denied the claim based on the allegation that the decedent was speeding and the truck driver therefore could not adequately gauge the amount of time he had to pause at the stop sign. The physical evidence contradicted this notion entirely, notwithstanding the fact that even if the decedent had been contributorily negligent, that would not have outweighed the severe degree of negligence on the part of the defendant. Nevertheless, our attorneys were able to conclusively refute this argument based on eye-witness testimony and the testimony from police investigators who calculated the decedent's speed to be precisely at the posted speed limit. In a desperate and largely unprecedented move, the defendants then designated the state as a responsible third party.

Generally speaking, a defendant will often threaten to designate a third party in order to leverage their position but it is rare that such an arbitrary and arguably frivolous designation is actually carried out. However, that is precisely what occurred and the state was thusly incorporated into the lawsuit by the defendants. The basis of the defendant's argument was that the state erected a large street sign that obstructed the truck driver's view of approaching traffic.

Several months of intense litigation were required to before the defendant finally acquiesced in regard to this argument. The argument was finally abandoned by the defendants when in the first mediation our attorneys presented video footage shot (in a controlled setting) from the perspective of an 18-wheeler driver which showed that the sign simply did not obstruct enough of the roadway in order to be a hazard. The case was ultimately resolved through litigation.
Total Recovery:
Confidential
Attorney Fees:
Confidential
Litigation Expenses:
Confidential
$100,000.00 Recovery - Motorcycle Accident (Neck, Back, and Knee Injury)
Recovery for a client who suffered neck, back, and knee injuries in a motor cycle accident.
Total Recovery:
$100,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$33,333.00
Litigation Expenses:
$627.00
$75,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Soft-Tissue Back Injuries)
Recovery for client who suffered soft tissue back injuries when he was rear ended by a delivery truck.
Total Recovery:
$75,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$25,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$100.00
$150,000.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Nerve Damage)
Recovery for client who suffered nerve damage and required steroid injections as a result of a car accident.
Total Recovery:
$150,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$50,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$4,800.00

"When I Lost My Father..."

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