Personal Injury & ICBC Claims

The Role of the Insurance Adjuster

If making a personal injury claim, most injured persons, acting without their own lawyer , will deal with an insurance adjuster. The adjuster works for, or is hired by, the insurance company for the person who caused the injury. The adjuster’s job is to act for and in the best interests of the insurance company. The adjuster does not work for, nor represent the best interests of the injured person. An adjuster is under no obligation to inform an injured person of their rights or of facts or information in the injured person’s favour. An adjuster’s job is to assess the exposure to liability of the insurance company, gather such information that may provide or assist in presenting defenses, and resolve the claim at as low a cost as possible. Many insurance adjusters will try and deal fairly with injured persons, but always within the context of minimizing expense to the insurance company.

When you are injured and an insurance company becomes involved, their adjuster will want to meet with you and take a written statement from you. They will also want access to your full medical history. This is not done for your benefit. It is done for the benefit of the insurance company. The adjuster will use the information obtained to investigate defenses to your claim. Your statement may later be used against you in court. If the insurer is also your insurance company (as is the case with ICBC) you may not be able to obtain benefits until you have provided a statement and medical authorizations. It is always advisable to seek legal advice from a lawyer prior to doing this.