What information and documents does an insurance adjuster need to open my injury claim? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, an insurance adjuster can usually open a bodily-injury claim with basic identifying information, the crash details, and a clear statement of the injuries and treatment. If an attorney is involved, the adjuster will…
Can I still pursue an injury claim if someone else died in the same accident? – North Carolina Short Answer Yes. In North Carolina, a person injured in a crash can pursue a separate bodily-injury claim even if someone else died in the same accident. The fatality typically creates a wrongful death claim that belongs…
What information does an estate’s attorney need to provide to an insurer to discuss a wrongful death claim? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, an insurer will usually discuss a wrongful death claim only with the estate’s court-appointed personal representative (or that representative’s attorney). Practically, that means the attorney should be ready to…
How do I find the claim number and the assigned adjuster for a wrongful death insurance claim that was already opened? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, the fastest way to get an existing wrongful death claim number and the assigned adjuster is to send a short written request to the insurance company’s…
What happens next after the insurer confirms there is an existing claim file for a fatal accident? – North Carolina Short Answer After an insurer confirms an existing claim file for a fatal crash in North Carolina, the next step is usually to identify the claim number and the assigned adjuster, then confirm who has…
What happens after the lawyer contacts the insurance companies listed in the police report? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, once counsel contacts the insurance companies listed in the police report, the insurers typically open claims, confirm whether coverage applies, and assign adjusters to investigate. Counsel then gathers key records (the crash report…
Can an insurance company share claim details with the estate’s attorney before a formal authorization or representation letter is on file? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, an insurance company usually will not (and often should not) share nonpublic claim-file details with someone claiming to represent an estate until it can verify that…
What documents or information should I gather to help the wrongful death claim move faster? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, a wrongful death claim usually moves faster when the estate’s administrator can quickly prove (1) legal authority to act for the estate, (2) how the death happened and who is responsible, and…
How can an estate make sure the insurance adjuster communicates directly with the estate’s legal representative going forward? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, the cleanest way to route all insurance communications through the estate’s lawyer is to send the insurer a written “letter of representation” identifying the estate’s personal representative and the…
Now that I’m the estate administrator, what do I need to sign so the lawyer can move forward with the wrongful death claim? – North Carolina Short Answer In North Carolina, the wrongful death claim is brought by the estate’s personal representative (the administrator or executor), not by individual family members. To let counsel move…