How Farmers Insurance Handles Wrongful Death Claims
Call (800) 863-5312 to Speak with a Skilled Wrongful Death Lawyer for Free
Farmers Insurance offers wrongful death policies that purportedly help at-fault parties to compensate a deceased person’s loved ones. Theoretically, an injured party could expect to be paid at least the insured’s policy limits. However, Farmers is a business, and successful insurance companies aren’t in the habit of paying out the policy limits without putting up a fight.
It’s been reported that Farmers Insurance has incentivized its claims adjusters with pizza parties and other perks for meeting low payment goals. These adjusters are trained to deny and defend the claim until you give up or run out of options. Each adjuster’s personal strategy may vary slightly, but know that all of them will do their very best to pay you as little as possible for your wrongful death claim.
If you are having to deal with Farmers Insurance after losing a loved one, call Zinda Law Group at (800) 863-5312 for a free consultation with an experienced wrongful death lawyer.
What to Expect in a Wrongful Death Claim with Farmers Insurance
One of the ways that Farmers Insurance may attempt to fight the claim is to search for small discrepancies between the insurance application and the medical records obtained after the death. Often, any discrepancy is used to invalidate the policy and avoid paying on a valid claim. The company may also search for discrepancies in the financial information provided on the application as another avenue to deny the claim.
As they search for discrepancies and other ways to deny the wrongful death claim, Farmers Insurance is likely to engage you in some settlement discussions. These discussions often involve the claims adjuster offering an unreasonably low amount, sometimes under the false pretense that the first offer is the very best the company can give and it can only go down from there.
To make these discussions as effective as possible from your side of the table, it’s important to gather all the relevant facts. In any claim process, but especially those involving Farmers, it is important to get your ducks in a row, remain patient, and even consider hiring a lawyer to negotiate on your behalf.
Farmers claims adjusters are trained to find “fine print” discrepancies that they can use to invalidate your claim. Don’t let their tactics discourage you. Continue to gather all the relevant facts and evidence. With any claim against Farmers, it’s very important that you remain patient. It may also be prudent to consider hiring an attorney to help you fight Farmers and get everything your claim is truly worth.
How Farmers Insurance Values Your Claim
Negotiating a settlement with an insurance company can be frustrating, and there may not be any more frustrating experience than trying to negotiate a wrongful death claim with Farmers Insurance. In fact, Farmers Insurance was once ranked number 7 on the “10 Worst Insurance Companies in America” list by the American Association for Justice. The organization also reported that adjusters working for Farmers Insurance were incentivized to make low offers and discourage claimants from seeking the help of an attorney.
Additionally, Farmers has been known to use a software system called “Colossus” to help determine the amounts that they are willing to offer to settle your case. Insurance adjusters input past settlement data to get a settlement range for your claim. Such data is usually confined to wrongful death settlements in your region that were the result of similar circumstances.
One of the biggest issues with this practice is the fact that you never see which cases get inputted. In fact, the nature of the insurance business incentivizes Farmers to restrict the inputted data to favorable cases. Additionally, Colossus only accounts for pain and suffering that can be “proven” by a medical doctor or evaluation. In using Colossus, Farmers tries to minimize the impact of factors that juries so often find compelling.
Considering all of this on top of the complexity and grief that come with a wrongful death claim, it is often in your best interest to seek the help of an experienced attorney to make sure that you get everything you deserve in your wrongful death claim against Farmers Insurance.
Our Wrongful Death Lawyers Can Help Your Family
At Zinda Law Group, our skilled wrongful death attorneys have the knowledge and resources necessary to help you build the strongest claim possible and pursue maximum compensation for medical bills, funeral and burial costs, lost income and benefits, pain and suffering, and more.
We also believe you should never have to worry about being able to afford excellent legal representation. That is why we offer free consultations, and why you will pay nothing unless we win your case. That’s our No Fee Guarantee.
If you have lost a loved one due to the negligence or willful act of another, call Zinda Law Group at (800) 863-5312 to receive your free consultation with a knowledgeable and compassionate wrongful death lawyer. Meetings with attorneys by appointment only.
