When you’re injured and unable to work, hearing the voice of a (seemingly) friendly insurance adjustor on the other end of the phone can give you hope that your claim will be handled quickly and fairly. That’s a welcome relief, naturally, when you’re worried about your bills.
Hold on a moment. You need to remember that insurance adjusters — no matter how kind they may be in their daily lives — have a job to do. That job is primarily all about saving the insurance company some money. They don’t do that by being overly generous with claims.
Before you talk to an insurance adjuster, keep these tips in mind:
- Don’t agree to recorded statements. Recorded statements are a trap. The hope is that you’ll say something that can be twisted out of context or somehow used to devalue your claim. Just politely decline to be recorded by saying, “No, not at this time.”
- Don’t give out any extra information. You need to give the insurance company your name and the basics of the accident — but limit your statements to where the accident happened, when it happened and who was involved. Say nothing about the order of events because your memory of events may not yet be clear.
- Don’t discuss your injuries in detail. It’s often better not to discuss them at all. You can say something like, “We’re still trying to determine the extent of the damage,” if you’re pressed.
- Don’t be lured in by quick offers. If the insurance company hurries to offer you some money, you can bet that they’re hoping you’ll sign away your rights before you know what your claim is really worth.
It’s generally wiser to talk to an attorney about your accident before you have any real conversations about your claim with the adjuster. Contact our office to learn how we can help you navigate this difficult period of your life.
