SECRETS of Nationwide Car Accident Claims REVEALED 2024

If you watch television, you've probably heard the calming voice reassuring you that “Nationwide is on your side….”

While that’s a nice thought, the experienced car accident attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers can assure you that Nationwide is almost certainly NOT on your side! If you were injured in an accident with a Nationwide policyholder, filing a Nationwide insurance claim can be complicated and frustrating.

Nationwide is one of the top insurance providers and serves clients across the U.S. (hence the name!) However, you can bet that the corporate officers haven’t collected hundreds of millions of dollars in profits by paying claims and being “on the side” of accident victims. On the contrary, they make money by paying as LITTLE as possible on claims. So, how are they on your side? Easy answer – they’re not!

How to Protect Yourself From Ruthless Insurance Companies Like Nationwide

Many auto insurance companies use similar claim procedures, but no two companies are exactly the same. Our car accident attorneys have been successfully fighting Nationwide Insurance car accident claims adjusters for years.

We are a national law firm based in Houston with multiple offices around the country. We also work with affiliate law firms in most states that share our focus and dedication to excellence. No matter where you are, we may be able to help you. To learn more, call or contact us now. We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Contact us online for a free case review.

When You Might Bring a Nationwide Injury Claim

If you were in a car accident caused by a Nationwide policyholder, you might have to file a claim with Nationwide. Or, if you are a Nationwide policyholder and were hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver, you may bring a claim. During the claim process, don’t expect to hear the nice voice from the commercials on the other end of the phone. They may sound friendly initially, but ultimately, insurance companies are not looking out for your best interests.

Below, our experienced car accident law firm shares a few SECRETS about how Nationwide handles claims at your expense!

SECRET #1: They WANT You to Accept Their Settlement Offer, But Only The FIRST ONE!

It’s almost impossible to predict what kind of settlement offer you’ll receive when you file a Nationwide insurance claim. You can prepare a perfectly valid claim with all the evidence you need to support it only to receive a nonsensical offer. We’ve seen injured people with more than $100,000 in losses receive an offer of only $15,000!

What’s going on? Nationwide makes these low offers, hoping people will quickly accept them and just move on. They are known for systematically “lowballing” people who are not represented by a car accident attorney. They offer a fraction of what the injured person deserves, hoping they may not know their rights and they need money ASAP.

You’d be surprised how many people think they have no other choice but to accept whatever amount Nationwide offers. You don't have to be one of these people. YOU HAVE OTHER OPTIONS! Your most important option is to work with a car accident attorney who will stand up to Nationwide for you.

Why You Don't Want to Accept Nationwide's First Offer

If you accept the first offer from Nationwide, you will sign away your right to request more money in the future as your bills continue to stack up. Even if you negotiate a higher settlement with a Nationwide claims adjuster after the initial offer, you are almost certainly entitled to even more.

Don’t let Nationwide get away with their “lowball” trick. If you’re not represented by an experienced auto accident attorney, you may not understand how much compensation you are entitled to receive under the law. Instead, call our office before you accept ANY offer from Nationwide—especially the first one!

We know how to negotiate with Nationwide to get you every penny you deserve to help pay your current needs and future anticipated expenses. We've successfully faced off against Nationwide in the past. It knows our firm well enough to know that we will not back down from a fight.

If you aren’t sure if you are getting a fair offer on your claim, contact us online to discuss your case for free. We can review your offer and explain your best options.

SECRET #2: Nationwide Claims Adjusters Will Probably DELAY or DENY Your Claim!

When insurance companies like Nationwide receive premiums, they turn around and invest that money to earn interest and increase their profits. It's no secret that these companies want to earn as much interest as possible on EVERY DIME. For this reason, they often delay the claims processing process—even for COMPLETELY VALID CLAIMS—until the last possible second. Nationwide may unreasonably delay your claim for a long time—or even deny it. They may demand additional paperwork while you're struggling with your injuries and bills.

This is all just a tactic for Nationwide to invest its $49.3 billion in annual sales and keep it OUT OF YOUR HANDS! Meanwhile, your medical bills and household expenses are piling up! Nationwide may not care about your losses and expenses, but our car accident attorneys certainly do! We are prepared to fight for the full settlement you deserve.

We Won't Let Nationwide Delay or Deny Your Valid Claim

Did you know that Nationwide is less likely to delay or deny your valid claim if you have a skilled attorney CHALLENGING THEM? If Nationwide is giving you the runaround or refusing to return your calls and fairly process your claim, DON’T WAIT. Call our legal team now. We are here to push forward on your Nationwide claim, and we won’t stop until we recover everything we can on your behalf.

If you feel like you have been waiting forever for action on your Nationwide claim or just a simple callback from the adjuster, reach out right now. We’re here to discuss your situation for free. Contact us online for a free case evaluation!

SECRET #3: You CANNOT Trust the Nationwide Claims Adjuster!

Nationwide insurance claims adjusters will likely tell you to trust them. They will promise to help you through the complicated process of a car accident insurance claim. Keep in mind many insurance companies rely heavily on computer software to estimate claims. However, Nationwide adjusters often have more leeway and discretion to use whatever information they can gather.

Adjusters want you to trust them because they want to get you talking! They hope you'll say something like, "I never saw the other car," or something that could implicate you in the accident. If you say anything that sounds like an admission of fault, the adjuster won’t hesitate to use your statements against you!

Adjusters are More Interested in Profits Than Being Fair

The reality of the situation is that YOU CAN’T TRUST a Nationwide adjuster to fairly handle your car accident claim. Like other insurance companies, Nationwide makes money by charging premiums each month and then paying as little as possible on every claim they receive. In fact, they will gladly DENY YOUR CLAIM ENTIRELY if they can find any reason to do so.

Some insurance companies actually REWARD THEIR ADJUSTERS FOR SAVING THEM MONEY. The insurance adjuster is NOT your friend, and you should always remember that they are only concerned about two parties—THEMSELVES and their COMPANY.

Nationwide Adjusters Will Not Provide Good Legal Advice

Remember, Nationwide insurance adjusters are NOT lawyers. They may seem like they know what they’re talking about and try to discuss your legal rights with you. Remember, they haven’t gone to law school and are under no ethical or legal obligation to do what is in your best interests.

As a result, you should not trust Nationwide insurance adjusters to protect your rights. They may actually give you BAD ADVICE or misrepresent your legal rights to convince you to accept a settlement that is SIGNIFICANTLY less than your claim is really worth.

There have even been reports of insurance adjusters lying to victims who file a claim to convince them to settle for an unreasonably low amount. One of the biggest lies they tell is that you don't need a car accident lawyer on your side. Of course, this protects them, not you.

How To Deal With an Insurance Adjuster

If you have to deal with a Nationwide insurance adjuster, keep your guard up, or better yet, don’t talk to them at all. They know that by acting like your friend, you may open up, helping them find a way to reduce your claim. You need to remember that they have an INCENTIVE to pay you as little as possible. Acting like they are “on your side” is just an attempt to manipulate you into saying something that will hurt your case.

How an Adjuster Can Try to Reduce Your Claim

Most importantly, you don't even have to say anything overtly against your interests for an adjuster to twist it to reduce the value of your claim.

For example, after being injured in a car accident, you may not have had a chance to retain a savvy personal injury lawyer. A Nationwide adjuster calls you to discuss your claim and starts the conversation with, “Hello, how are you today?” Most people will reply, “I’m fine,” in an attempt to be polite. The adjuster may try to use that response as evidence that you are not really injured. After all, you said you were “fine,” right? It's little verbal tricks like this that insurance adjusters use to try to reduce claims.

Sometimes, they ask you to describe how your accident occurred. Remember, they're really not interested in hearing your side of the story. They are hoping you say something they can use against you. Even telling them that you glanced at your phone minutes before your accident or need to change your windshield wipers because they're a little worn out could potentially be used by a Nationwide adjuster to reduce your claim.

How to Protect Yourself From a Shady Nationwide Insurance Adjuster

The best thing to do is to TALK TO THEM AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. Instead, retain a lawyer to represent you as soon as you possibly can. Your dedicated legal advocate can speak on your behalf, and nothing they say can be used to reduce your claim.

Once you have the legal team of Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers on your side, you don’t have to worry about unscrupulous insurance adjusters trying to take advantage of you. Trust us to handle your claim and all communication on your behalf.

Don’t take chances; take action! Let us do the talking for you. We’re open 24/7, so contact us online to discuss your case for free.

SECRET #4: DO NOT Give the Insurance Company a Recorded Statement!

While we discussed this in the previous section, it’s worth reiterating: Don’t say too much to a Nationwide insurance adjuster. Also, NEVER agree to provide a recorded statement without having an attorney to represent you. While insurance adjusters may seem very nice and like they want to help you, the truth is that they want to get you to settle your case for as little as possible.

In fact, they will do everything they can to deny your claim, pouncing on every opportunity. It’s what they’re trained for! By talking about your accident or providing a recorded statement, you are increasing the chances that you will say something they can use to justify lowering the value of your claim.

Nationwide and other auto insurers are sophisticated companies that handle thousands of claims yearly. They invest millions of dollars to train their people to minimize payouts. They KNOW the best ways to deny and limit claims. For this reason, don't feel overly confident and think that you can outsmart the insurance company—even if you've handled a car accident claim before.

Why Recorded Statements Are Dangerous

One of their favorite tricks is to just get you talking casually. Nationwide adjusters often try to achieve this by acting EXTREMELY FRIENDLY and like they are on YOUR SIDE. They aren’t. They are on NATIONWIDE’S SIDE, and that means they are looking for any way to settle your case for as LITTLE as possible.

Fortunately, the attorneys at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers have dealt with insurance adjusters from Nationwide and most other large insurance companies. Over the years, we’ve seen EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK, and we know what it takes to get our clients the compensation they deserve.

We’ll fight for you and make sure that you are treated fairly by adjusters who only care about their bonuses and their company’s bottom line. We have a national reputation for being a tenacious personal injury law firm that won’t hesitate to take a case to court to get our clients the compensation they deserve. This means these big insurance companies know they can't play games when we’re on the case.

Also, you have NO obligation to give a recorded statement to an adjuster, and it is NEVER a good idea to do so. Instead, always hire one of our attorneys to represent you in ALL of your communications so you can ensure NOTHING jeopardizes your claim.

Having a lawyer who knows the secrets of Nationwide insurance claims can be a huge benefit. Our team can help expedite the entire claims process and maximize your settlement! If you’ve been asked to give a recorded statement or have already given one and aren’t sure what to do next, contact us by filling out this form to discuss your case.

SECRET #5: Car Insurance Adjusters Will Tell You That You Don't Need a Lawyer!

Nationwide adjusters will most likely say that you don't need a car accident attorney. They’ll warn that an attorney will “take your money,” and you’ll get nothing on your claim. The reality is that they don’t WANT you to have an attorney because experienced lawyers make their job that much more difficult!

When you partner with a dedicated personal injury lawyer, they will give you accurate legal advice and fight for your rights. In fact, studies have shown that injury victims who hire lawyers receive substantially more money overall, even after attorney's fees are paid. Without a lawyer on your side, insurance adjusters will try to take advantage of your lack of experience to shortchange you whenever possible.

Luckily, they don't have anything up their sleeve that we haven't seen before—and we know how to keep them from getting away with their tricks.

How Can a Dedicated Injury Lawyer Help You With Your Insurance Claim?

Our experienced Nationwide insurance claim attorneys help in many ways, including:

• Advising you whether another driver should be held liable for your losses and gathering evidence to prove negligence and liability
• Tracking and calculating your numerous losses to determine the full value of your claim
• Handling all communications with adjusters to prevent delays and make sure you don't give any statements against your interests
• Providing the required documentation and paperwork as the adjuster requests
• Reviewing all settlement offers to see whether they are sufficient (tip: they probably are NOT!) and helping you fight for additional compensation
• Negotiating for a higher offer
• Filing a lawsuit and advocating for you in court if Nationwide won’t offer you the settlement you deserve

Nationwide doesn’t want you to receive all this help. Why would they!? They can trick unrepresented claimants into accepting much less than people who are equipped with proper legal knowledge because they hired a lawyer.

One more tactic that adjusters may use to dissuade you from calling a law firm is telling you that a lawyer will be too expensive and will only take chunks of your settlement money from you. This is NOT the truth when it comes to our car accident lawyers! Even though many law firms are notorious for charging exorbitant hourly fees, that is not how our firm works.

How Much Will a Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?

At Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers, our legal team will consult with you and review your options for FREE. If we determine you have a valid insurance claim, we will file and handle your claim for FREE. Yes, you read that right—you will pay NOTHING out-of-pocket for us to handle your claim. If we successfully resolve your claim, our fees come directly from your settlement and NOT your bank account. This means that ANYONE can afford to work with one of our car accident lawyers!

You may wonder why you would give up part of your settlement to pay for an attorney’s help if you can simply keep all of it yourself. The reality is that an attorney can often help you get significantly more than you otherwise would recover, even AFTER their fees are paid!

Unrepresented Claimants Usually Receive Far Less Compensation

Think about the following situation:

• You are in a car accident and have $10,000 in car repair and medical bills, so you file a claim with Nationwide.
• Nationwide insists your claim is only worth $7,500, so you accept that amount because you don’t know you have the option to fight for more.
• You pay off $7,500 of your bills and pay the remaining $2,500 out-of-pocket, putting a strain on your household finances.

This situation is an all-too-common scenario that exposes innocent car accident victims to unnecessary financial obligations.

Now, consider the alternative when you work with an honest injury lawyer:

• You are in a car accident and have $10,000 in car repair and medical bills.
• You contact the law firm of Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers, and consult our team of legal professionals about your claim.
• Our legal team evaluates your claim and informs you that you can seek additional damages for your lost income, future medical expenses, miscellaneous injury-related expenses like transportation or household services, and your pain and suffering.
• We fight for you and obtain a recovery of $30,000 after calculating ALL your losses, pain and suffering, etc., and negotiating on your behalf.
• We also reach out to your medical providers and try to negotiate reductions on those bills whenever possible.
• Even after paying attorneys' fees and reduced amounts on your medical bills, you are left with a "net" recovery in your pocket of FAR more than that -$2,500 above!
• You can pay off your existing bills and have money left to pay other expenses.

Insurance Settlements are Never Guaranteed, But You Can Improve Your Chances

The above example is completely hypothetical and NOT a guarantee of results in any specific case. However, it shows how an unrepresented claimant can end up PAYING $2,500 while someone in the same situation may walk away with EXTRA MONEY with a skilled lawyer!

While the insurance company will tell you that lawyers are only after your money, this is simply not the case. We provide valuable professional services for injured victims and only receive an agreed-upon percentage of the final resolution. We’re here to help, and our goals are the same as your goals. We ONLY get paid if you do!

Don't listen to an adjuster who says you don't need a lawyer. Instead, call us directly to learn the many ways we can help you FOR FREE.

SECRET #6: It MATTERS Who Your Nationwide Insurance Claim Lawyer Is!

Some insurance companies may change their tunes as soon as a claimant hires legal representation. With Nationwide, a law firm's quality and integrity matter when it comes to how the claims adjuster responds. Nationwide knows which attorneys are willing to play hardball and file lawsuits and which will surrender without much of a fight.

For example, Nationwide may SERIOUSLY undervalue a claim when facing an attorney who regularly settles for low amounts. However, when Nationwide faces a tough law firm like ours, it will be more likely to pay your claim’s full value quickly.

We’ve seen people switch from one law firm to another with a more assertive reputation. Most of the time, their offers increased by thousands of dollars almost immediately! Our law firm won’t settle for any less than you deserve, and we have the resources to take your claim as far as it needs to go.

In addition to filing a personal injury lawsuit, we can identify whether you can take other legal action against Nationwide directly. Insurance laws prohibit these companies from violating policies, including causing unnecessary delays or denying claims they know are valid. If we see Nationwide violating the law, we can explain your right to file a bad faith claim against the company.

Contact a Nationwide Insurance Car Accident Claims Law Firm for the Help You Need

We can reveal these secrets about Nationwide's tactics and tricks because we've handled many Nationwide car accident claims for clients just like you. We’ve seen it all—from Nationwide trying to pay pennies on the dollar for what claimants deserve to denying fully valid claims. We know how to respond and how to protect your rights in these situations.

The attorneys of Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers are nationally recognized car accident lawyers who have protected the rights of injured car accident victims for more than 20 years.

If you were injured in a car wreck and are dealing with a Nationwide claims adjuster, call our office right now to schedule a free consultation! Since we accept personal injury cases on a contingent fee basis, you will not owe us a DIME unless we win your case. To schedule your case evaluation, contact us online HERE.