Can I Trust the Claims Adjuster after My Virginia Car Accident Case? Fairfax Personal Injury Attorney Brian Glass Reveals the Insurance Tactic of "Running Out the Clock"

We often get calls from potential clients telling us that the adjuster in their Virginia car accident is treating them very kindly. They just want more information about how this claims process works and they think they'll be able to resolve their own case. While I do agree that often adjusters can be nice and cordial, you need to be careful that when it gets down to discussing settlement of your case, their temperament may change very quickly.

Remember that in Virginia you generally have two years to file a lawsuit in your injury claim (in some cases the statute of limitations can be much shorter for instance if it's a claim against a government entity.) What this means is that before the end of the statute of limitations in your case your claim must not only be filed with the insurance company but also filed in court appropriately against the right party. In short, don't let the adjuster simply run out your time to settle your claim.

Too often, people reach out to me saying that they've been negotiating with the adjuster who's been nice but they've been slow to make a response to their offer of settlement. Surprisingly the statute of limitations runs out in only a couple weeks or a couple days. This is not a good place to be in because if your statute runs and you've not properly filed the case in court, you lose. In many instances adjusters intentionally run out the clock.

This does not mean that if you're injured in a Virginia car accident case we will always need an attorney. In fact, in many simple cases we actually recommend that you try to pursue the claim yourself. However, you have to be very aware of the deadlines in your case and don't allow any adjuster no matter how nice they allow you to run out the clock.