Understanding How Insurance Companies Evaluate

Over the last decade many insurance companies have been turning to Computer Software Programs to do the work for them in evaluating auto accident cases. One the most used Insurance Software Programs is a Program called Colossus.

And even though insurance companies have been using Colossus for years in their efforts to drive down settlement values and cause insult to injury for the actual accident victims many if not most personal injury lawyers are largely clueless about how the system computer software works and how to out-smart the software program and obtain results for accident clients.

Colossus, is a computer program that calculates settlement offers based on data input by insurance adjusters. Currently, about 60 percent of all auto insurance claims are processed through the computer program known as Colossus, which is used by leading insurers such as Allstate, American Family and Farmers.

Other insurers use a very similar software known as TEACH, and/or Injury IQ, ICE and Decision Point.

Unfortunately, while this program can be beaten, some attorneys that represent themselves as PI Attorneys are not keeping up with technology, the computer programs and the insurance companies, and for the most part are getting beaten by these systems.

The author of one book on the topic by Attorney Aaron Shaw believes that "Only a minority of lawyers and doctors have a clue what's going on."

It is our Firm’s belief that some plaintiffs' attorneys have thrown in the towel and are turning away accident cases unless they involve extensive injuries.

We are part of a small minority that believe that you can overcome the challenges of Colossus, and resolve claims for higher amounts by changing the way the cases are presented.

Doing this requires some specific knowledge of how to present a demand in Colossus language and a willingness to fight for what a case is worth. In this regard it is important to understand that the Colossus Computer Program contains over 10,000 "value drivers" - pieces of information that tell the program how to value or respond to a claim. Value drivers can be anything from type of injury to severity of injury to length of treatment to name of the treating doctor.

Plaintiffs' lawyers are just unaware of what value drivers are treated as significant by Colossus.