By the time the wrecker pulls off I-285 or the Connector, the insurance adjuster is already working the angles. I’ve lost count of how many calls with insurance companies start the same way: “We looked at the photos and this wasn’t a high-impact wreck.” Translation: Your car doesn’t look crushed, so your injuries must not be serious.
That’s the first tactic in the insurance adjuster playbook.
I’m Attorney Dwayne L. Brown, a car accident lawyer in Atlanta, and after decades of representing injured people in the area, I can tell you there’s no straight line between crumpled steel and severe injuries.
Another favorite insurance adjuster tactic: “You only received treatment for two months.” They skip past what really counts: is the injury temporary or permanent? A herniated disc doesn’t need a year of therapy to be permanent. And when a young client faces decades of pain and limitations, a short course of treatment doesn’t make the injury small.
I’ve recovered over $100 million for injured people in Georgia, not because insurers suddenly decide to be generous, but because I know how insurance companies evaluate risk and how to change the conversation.
This article offers an inside look at how adjusters really work and how car accident lawyers like me protect clients from being short-changed. And if you’re already getting calls and letters, call us and let us take the weight off your shoulders.
Secret Insurance Adjuster Tactics & How Attorneys Counter Them
I’ve represented people after car accidents in Atlanta for decades, and I’ve seen the same plays from insurance companies over and over. Here are the tactics we see most often at the Law Office of Dwayne L. Brown, a personal injury law firm in Atlanta, and why they don’t hold up to scrutiny once you look at the facts.
“There’s little property damage, so your injury must be minor.”
What the adjuster says: “We looked at your photos and this wasn’t a high-impact wreck, so the injuries can’t be serious.”
What it really means: They’re trying to price your claim based on the visible damage to your vehicle.
Why it’s misleading: After decades representing injured people, I can tell you there’s no clean correlation between how a bumper looks and what your spine absorbed. I’ve seen too many clients with catastrophic injuries but “minor” vehicle damage, and I don’t let that shortcut stand.
Our response: I reframe value around the injury, not repair bills or photographs, and make sure the claim reflects the actual injuries you suffered, not what an adjuster thinks after looking at a few photographs.
“You were only treated for a few weeks.”
What the adjuster says: “You completed treatment and physical therapy after just six weeks, so the case isn’t worth what you’re asking.”
What it really means: They’re trying to equate time-in-treatment with the “value” of the injury.
Why it’s misleading: The real question is temporary vs. permanent injury. A herniated disc can be permanent even if active treatment was brief. And if a younger client is now facing decades of pain, limitations, or flare-ups, a short treatment timeline doesn’t shrink the harm. They’ll be dealing with the effects of that injury for the rest of their life.
Our response: I anchor the discussion to the injury’s permanence and functional impact. Then I document how the injury affects your life.
“Your bills are high because you ‘over-treated.’”
What the adjuster says: “Looks like you treated more than what was medically necessary to inflate the claim.”
What it really means: They’re attacking the medical necessity of your treatment to push the settlement down.
Why it’s misleading: I see this even when clients follow doctor orders. The adjuster tells them they “did too much.” But that usually ignores what the objective findings show. If medical records confirm an injury, the fact that your doctor kept you in treatment or physical therapy for months or more doesn’t change your diagnosis.
Our response: I tie your treatment to objective medical findings and the medical provider’s reasoning for continuing treatment, then separate how long you received care from the severity of your injury so the adjuster can’t conflate the two.
“This is an old injury.”
What the adjuster says: “Our portal shows you filed a different back injury claim five years ago, so you’re prone to injury, and this one’s worth less.”
What it really means: They’re using your past injury to minimize your present injury.
Why it’s misleading: What matters is the before and after. If you lived a full life (working, parenting, exercising) after your old injury and now this new injury is introducing new limitations, your injury history doesn’t reduce what this new wreck took from you now. I’ve handled many “reinjury” cases where the truth is simple: life was normal again after the old injury until this new collision.
Our response: I lay out a clear timeline: your life after the old injury vs. the new, and the meaningful losses resulting from this new injury. I separate the old condition from the new harm so the adjuster can’t blur them together.
The Preexisting Condition Trap and How We Beat It
Adjusters love to pull old claims and say the new crash didn’t cause a new injury or simply that you’re prone to injury; therefore, the case is worth less. It sounds reasonable until you look at how you were living before the new wreck:
The real story is before-and-after, not then-and-now
If you had a back issue from a wreck in 2015, it doesn’t immediately lower the value of a new claim you file for your accident in 2025. You may have received treatment and returned to your life after receiving care in those ten years, working full-time, taking care of your family, exercising, and sleeping through the night.
Then, the new accident causes new problems. In these cases, I lay out what changed after the 2025 crash, such as new pain, limitations, and missed work that were not present before.
We had one client who had an old herniated disc noted in a file from years back. She received treatment and recovered. She worked steadily and experienced no restrictions or disability. After a new side-impact crash, her symptoms returned. She suffered from poor sleep, had to take time off work, and experienced other limitations.
We showed that she was living a normal life before the crash and that her life changed afterward.
How Injury Attorneys Control the Record After an Accident
When I represent a client, we take proactive steps to control the conversation. These are practical steps that change how the claim is evaluated long before it settles.
All Communication Goes Through Our Law Office
Day one, I shut down the back-channel calls. We’ve unfortunately seen claimants and plaintiffs harm their case by reaching out to the insurance adjuster themselves. When a client keeps calling the adjuster to “check the settlement offer,” it reads as eagerness to settle, and the offers usually reflect that. I tell the insurance adjuster to communicate only with my law office.
And I advise clients not to reach out to insurance companies on their own. My office regularly keeps our clients informed about the status of their claims. And if clients would like news between our regular updates, they can always call us directly.
Set the Stakes Early
I tell the adjuster exactly what injuries my client suffered so that they put the correct monetary reserve on the claim. If it’s a policy-limits case, I say so.
Adjusters set “reserves” very early. A reserve is the money the company holds for your claim. If that number starts low, it can be hard to move. So I don’t wait.
As soon as I have a clear picture of your injuries, I tell the adjuster what we’re dealing with in plain language. If a surgery is scheduled, I say so. If, based on the injuries, this is a policy-limits case, I make that clear.
The goal is simple: align the claim with the actual risk from the start.
Frame the Risk Like a Local Jury Will
Juries watch people and remember what they see. When body-cam footage is available, I request it under Georgia’s Open Records Act and include it in the file. If the at-fault driver is evasive, blames you, or minimizes the crash, it shows on video. Those videos shape how jurors react.
I lay out those clips alongside the facts of the accident and medical proof of your injuries and explain in plain terms how a jury is likely to read them.
The goal is to make sure the claim reflects the injury and the human story a jury would see without leaving room for shortcuts that shrink the claim’s value.
Costly Mistakes I See People Make With Adjusters
Small choices early can shrink a good claim. These are the two I see most often. Both feel harmless in the moment, but they each hand the adjuster leverage.
Calling to ask, “How much will you pay?”
You just want a sense of the offer. But that call tells the adjuster you’re eager to settle. It also lets the insurer “anchor” your case with a low number early, then measure every later conversation against that low anchor. And whatever you say on that call goes into the claim file. If you leave something out or phrase it incorrectly, it becomes a “fact” they’ll quote later.
Don’t chase a number. Route all contact with the insurance adjusters through my office. If you’d like an update on the status of the negotiations, please call us and we’ll provide one.
Re-engaging the adjuster after hiring a lawyer
Once you’ve retained counsel, picking up the phone to “check in” with the adjuster undercuts the case. It creates two messengers, and adjusters create gaps and inconsistencies that they’ll use to question your credibility or the seriousness of your injury. It also suggests you’re worried the case isn’t moving, which could encourage lowball offers.
Let the legal professionals at our personal injury firm be the single point of contact. My team at the Law Office of Dwayne L. Brown will keep a clean record, avoid mixed messages, and make sure what goes into the claim file strengthens your position instead of weakening it.
What To Do If You’re Dealing With an Adjuster Right Now
Here’s a short list that protects your leverage:
- Route every call and letter through my office. One messenger, one clean record.
- Don’t call to “check the number.” That signals you’re eager to settle and invites a low settlement offer.
- Write down symptoms and limitations as you experience them. Keep a journal about limitations, like missed work, lost sleep, and lifting restrictions.
- Follow your doctor’s plan and keep appointments. The file should reflect what your body is actually dealing with.
- Let me notify the carrier about injuries and surgery. That’s how we establish the right reserves early and maintain an honest valuation.
If you follow those steps and get an attorney involved, the conversation shifts.
Here are a couple of examples:
Example 1: An adjuster opened at $10,000. I laid out the facts and how a local jury would likely see them. Once the case was clear, the offer moved to $250,000.
Example 2: The insurer started with a flat denial. We pressed on liability, presented the evidence, and kept the focus on risk. That case resolved in the multimillions.
I’ve recovered over $100 million for injured people over the years, not because insurers are generous but because the record matches the reality of the injury.
Get Help Dealing With Insurance Adjusters After Your Car Wreck
If you were in a car accident in the Atlanta area, let’s talk. We offer a free consultation, and we work on a contingency fee, meaning you don’t pay attorney’s fees unless there’s a recovery.
My job is to make sure the file reflects the injury. If you want help protecting the value of your claim, reach out today.
