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Beating Colossus Insurance Software | NC Injury Lawyer
How Colossus Software Lowballs Your Injury Claim (and How We Fight It)
It doesn’t matter is your personal injury claim comes from an accident in small town North Carolina on the Outer Banks. We see the fingerprints of Colossus on lowball settlement offers on a regular basis.
If you received a settlement offer from a major insurance company like Allstate, USAA, or Farmers, you might be shocked by how low the number is. Did the adjuster ignore or fail to properly account for and address your pain and suffering, your sleepless nights, doctors and physical therapy visits, and the disruption to your daily life?
In an ever-increasing number of accident cases, there’s a good chance a human did not calculate the value of your non-economic damages. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) computer program called Colossus may have.
We think it helps to understand AI personal injury settlement software and how it converts physical suffering into “severity points,” detailing the specific strategies we use to encourage the insurance adjuster to step up, apply some good-old-fashioned human common sense, and pay what your accident case is actually worth.
If the big insurance companies don’t do the right thing when their client is clearly negligent, we also think it helps if your attorney has tried a case or two in court, holding them accountable.
Danny Glover is a litigator. In fact, he’s a former President of North Carolina Advocates for Justice (Trial Lawyers). Danny knows his way around the courtroom and is ready, willing and able to put that substantial knowledge and experience to work for clients who aren’t being treated right by the insurance carrier.
Every claim obviously involves unique facts and twists and turns. If you suspect your settlement offer has been generated by a computer rather than a person, OBX accident lawyer Danny Glover at the Glover Law Firm invites you to reach out for a confidential consultation. Call now: 252-299-5300
What is Colossus?
Colossus is a computer program licensed by some of the nation’s largest insurance carriers to evaluate bodily injury claims. Originally designed to minimize variance between adjusters, it has evolved into a tool that systematically reduces payout amounts.
The software works by converting medical data into a numerical score. The adjuster inputs data from your medical records, specifically diagnosis codes (ICD-10) and treatment notes. The program then assigns “severity points” to your injury. These points are multiplied by a dollar value to generate a settlement range. If your pain is not translated into the specific language Colossus understands, the software seems to assume it does not exist.
The “Garbage In, Garbage Out” Problem
A substantial flaw with Colossus is that it likely relies entirely on the input of the insurance adjuster, who is clearly incentivized, if not instructed, to save the company money. When insurance companies don’t make full and fair settlement when they have clear liability, that’s profitable for them.
Indeed, insurance companies make money on others’ pain and suffering when they improperly deny a claim or limit the final settlement amount.
To be clear, the insurance company represents their best interests, not yours – Danny Glover, OBX Accident Lawyer
It doesn’t help if the adjuster fails to input a specific symptom or “value driver,” resulting in software generating a lower settlement offer.
To understand the difference between how a human jury sees your case and how Colossus sees it, consider this comparison:
| Human Factor | Colossus “Translation” |
| “My back hurts when I lift my child.” | Zero Value (unless documented as “Duties Under Duress”). |
| “I have anxiety driving past the crash site.” | Zero Value (unless linked to a psychological treatment code). |
| Doctor says “Patient has muscle tightness.” | Low Value (Subjective complaint). |
| Doctor says “Palpable muscle spasm observed.” | High Value (Objective medical finding). |
Why “Duties Under Duress” Matter
One of the most critical value drivers in the Colossus system is a concept called Duties Under Duress. The software is programmed to award extra points if a victim continues to perform daily activities despite being in pain.
Most clients try to be tough. They tell their doctor, “I’m managing.” That is a mistake in the eyes of the algorithm. To trigger the additional value points, your medical records must explicitly state that you are performing specific tasks, such as working, housekeeping, or yard work, while experiencing pain. If this is not documented in the medical notes, Colossus treats it as if you are fully recovered.
How We Fight the Algorithm
Going to battle with Colossus necessitates a strategy that speaks its language while preparing to bypass it entirely if necessary.
- Specific Medical Documentation: We work with clients to ensure they communicate effectively with their doctors. Vague complaints of “soreness” get lost. Specific reports of “radiating pain,” “muscle spasms,” and “reduced range of motion” trigger higher severity points.
- Demand Letter Formatting: We structure our settlement demands to highlight the exact value drivers the software looks for, effectively “feeding” the machine the data it needs to authorize a higher range.
- The Threat of Litigation: Ultimately, Colossus cannot testify in court. A jury does not use an algorithm. When an insurer relies too heavily on the software and refuses to offer a full and fair settlement, filing a lawsuit removes the case from the adjuster’s desk and puts it in the hands of defense attorneys who understand that a jury will see the human being behind the claim.
Beyond the Algorithm: Maximizing Your Settlement
Colossus is just one tool insurance companies use to minimize payouts. Whether you are dealing with a standard car crash or need an Outer Banks motorcycle accident lawyer, the tactic is generally the same. Prove your unique suffering to specific, provable data points.
Knowing when you should hire an accident lawyer is a good first step. To fight back effectively, it’s helpful to understand the broader legal factors, such as liability limits and evidence rules, that determine what your case is actually worth. We have created a comprehensive NC Accident Claim Value Settlement Guide to help you navigate the claims process and accident valuation.
For even more specific examples regarding economic vs. non-economic damages, you can also review our article on understanding the value of your personal injury claim.
Common Questions About Colossus Software
While Colossus is the most famous, other major insurers use it or similar “claims decision support” software such as Claims Outcome Advisor (COA). Companies sometimes associated with these automated systems may include Allstate, Farmers, USAA, and MetLife. If you are dealing with a large carrier, it is safe to assume a computer is analyzing your medical bills, affecting your potential settlement, in one way or another.
Insurance adjusters are trained to keep the Colossus score and report confidential during negotiations. They may refer to their “evaluation” or “authority,” but they rarely hand over the raw data sheets voluntarily before a lawsuit is filed. During the “discovery” phase of litigation (if filing a lawsuit becomes necessary), your accident lawyer may request information regarding how the claim was valued. While that could expose the lack of human analysis, it’s likely that would not be admissible evidence in court. Settlement negotiations are generally precluded from jury consideration in North Carolina.
The Colossus algorithm may assign lower severity points to treatments that are deemed passive or lacking objective diagnostics. It is programmed to flag “excessive” chiropractic visits or physical therapy that continues without a changing diagnosis. To counter this, it can help to have periodic re-evaluations by a medical doctor (MD) or specialist to validate the ongoing need for physical therapy.
Value drivers are specific medical facts that may trigger higher settlement authority in the software. These tend to include include objective findings like muscle spasms, dizziness, restrictions in range of motion, distinct diagnoses code changes, and referrals to specialists. Medical records that fail to properly document value drivers can result in a lowball offer.
Adjusters often have limited authority to deviate from the computer’s range without a “management override.” An experienced OBX accident attorney builds a case that gives the adjuster the necessary ammunition to justify an override to their supervisor. If that fails, filing a lawsuit renders the software irrelevant, as the decision power shifts to a jury. Juries are human beings with life experience and the capacity to feel pain, empathize unlike some bot housed in a data center.
Stop Negotiating with a Computer
You cannot charm an algorithm, and you cannot reason with a piece of code. For a full and fair settlement after a wreck, you need to properly document your injuries and treatment and provide the specific evidence the computer system requires or force the insurance company to face a jury.
Contact OBX Accident Lawyer Danny Glover at the Glover Law Firm for a confidential review of your claim. Call 252-299-5300 to schedule your free consultation.