How to Deal with An Insurance Adjuster After a Car Accident (and Tricks to Avoid)

Working with insurance is a necessary part of almost any car accident. And once insurance has been notified, you can expect to speak with an insurance adjuster who has been assigned to your case.

Insurance adjusters will often come off as very nice and polite – and they likely are good people in reality. But it’s important to remember that insurance adjusters often do not have your best interests at heart. They have a job to do, and that job is to keep the insurance company paying out as little in compensation as it can.

It’s important to know how to deal with an insurance adjuster after a car accident, and that includes an adjuster from your own insurance company. Knowing your rights and what to watch out for can improve your chances of receiving a settlement you deserve.

Here are tips for handing interactions with insurance adjusters:

Let an experienced car accident attorney speak for you

One of the biggest advantages an insurance adjuster may have over you is more experience with insurances cases and laws surrounding car accident cases.

They might hope you don’t know how much compensation you really need for injuries and other damages and get you to agree to a lower settlement offer. They might also try to get you to make statements that they can use against you to lower your settlement or outright deny your claim.

It is almost never a good idea to handle all your communications with the insurance company yourself. The good news is that you don’t have to.

You are under no obligation to speak with insurance adjusters before you have an experienced car accident attorney on your side. You can politely decline to talk until you have an attorney who can handle most of the communications in your place, bringing their own knowledge of car accident claims and the legal system to work for you.

BLOG: When to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Kentucky (and Why)

Stick to the facts when discussing your car accident

Even when you have an attorney, there might still be times when you will have to talk with an adjuster. If that’s the case, try to give out only basic information and undeniable facts as much as possible.

When we say “undeniable facts,” we’re referring to information like your name, contact details, insurance policy number, where the accident happened, and who was involved. Information like this is necessary and harmless to provide.

Do not speculate on any matters surrounding the crash

An insurance adjuster might try to bait you into providing your opinions on how the car accident happened or who was at fault. Remember that the insurance company will be investigating the accident, and anything you say could be turned against you if their conclusions don’t align with the answers you gave.

If you don’t know or are uncertain of the answer to a question, you can simply state so. Don’t give an answer you aren’t completely sure of and absolutely never lie.

Do not permit the insurance adjuster to record your statements

Recorded statements are not mandatory and will not benefit you in any way. The only benefit they might have is to the insurance company in the chance they record you saying something that they can use to strengthen their own case against you.

When an insurance adjuster asks to record what you say or make a signed written statement, you can politely decline.

Request all communications in writing

On the other hand, requesting all communications to be handled in written form, such as letter or email, can benefit you.

Going back and forth in writing can give you time to fully consider your response or consult your attorney, helping to avoid mistakes. Having your full correspondence in writing can also reduce the risk of what you say being misunderstood or taken out of context.

Never admit any sort of fault

It can be human nature to apologize for things, especially when it comes to a car accident that may have caused injuries, property damage, and other consequences. We sometimes even say we’re sorry for matters that aren’t even our fault!

But when you deal with an insurance adjuster after a car accident, fight the urge to say you are sorry for anything or that you could have avoided what happened. Those words can be taken as an admission of guilt and used to deny your claim.

Remember that both the insurance company and your car accident attorney will be investigating the accident. Let the evidence they collect prove who was liable without your words potentially tripping up the truth.

BLOG: What to Do After a Car Accident that Wasn’t Your Fault

Don’t underplay your injuries

When you deal with an insurance adjuster, they are not only looking for errors or faults in your statements. They are also looking for signs that any injuries or damages you have suffered are not as bad as you are claiming them to be.

While it can be human nature to put a more positive spin on how you’re feeling or just say things are “fine,” this is not the time to do so. If you’re in pain, say so. If your injuries are affecting your life, tell the insurance adjuster how. Keeping a daily journal can help you track your injuries’ effects on your well-being and can serve as evidence if needed.

On the other end of the spectrum, don’t exaggerate or lie about your injuries, either. It can be extremely damaging to your case if the evidence proves you wrong.

Don’t sign off access to your full medical records

When the insurance adjuster asks for access to your medical records, what they will often look for is signs of pre-existing conditions. Any symptoms from your accident that they can pin on these conditions give them more leverage to argue for a lower settlement or a claim denial.

Once again, politely decline a request to access your records until you have spoken with an attorney.

Don’t feel rushed or pressured to settle with the insurance company

If the insurance company makes an initial settlement offer, it will almost always be on the lower side of what you could reasonably expect to receive in compensation. It might not end up being enough to cover the treatments, repairs, and long-term care you need.

In addition to hoping you are not aware of how much your needs cost, the insurance company might also try to leverage the pressures of time against you. You might start having medical bills pile up and feel you must take a lower offer to address them now. In some cases, an insurance company might make a lowball offer and then stall for time, hoping financial pressures build to a point where you feel no other choice but to accept.

You do not have to settle in either situation. An experienced car accident attorney can help you push negotiations for a fairer settlement that truly covers your medical and financial expenses. And if the insurance company still refuses to budge, you and your attorney can take the company to court with a lawsuit.

Often, the threat of a lawsuit can be enough for the insurance company to relent and raise their offer. But even if they don’t back down, your attorney can fight for your best interests before a judge and jury.

How Karl Truman Law Office Can Help Your Car Accident Claim

The sooner you contact an attorney after your car accident, the sooner they can take steps to protect and further your car accident case.

We have represented people injured in car accidents for more than 30 years. If you hire us for your case, we will:

• Help you receive the medical care and other resources you may need
• Thoroughly gather and examine evidence from the accident scene, – including eyewitness testimonies, camera footage, and expert evaluations – to establish who was truly at fault for the crash
• Obtain relevant medical records to confirm your injuries were caused by the car accident and not pre-existing conditions
• Use our extensive experience and work with experts to calculate what your case is truly worth, including fair estimates for non-economic losses like pain and suffering
• Handle settlement negotiations with the insurance adjuster on your behalf to ensure your rights are fully represented
• Stay on top of all important deadlines and legal filings
• Represent your interests through a lawsuit or jury trial, if necessary

Hurt in a Car Accident? Count on the Colonel

At Karl Truman Law Office, we understand the tricks and tactics insurance adjusters use to unfairly deny and reduce accident claims. We aren’t afraid to take cases all the way to court if that’s what we need to get our clients a fair result.

But it’s also about more than just “maximum compensation.” Our goal is always to put our clients’ needs first and provide as comprehensive support as we can. Whether that means answering late-night questions, helping you find the right doctors, or discussing all your legal options so you can make an informed decision, we’re there for you.

And all of this service costs nothing up front. We will review your case for free. And if we can help you, we don’t get paid unless we recover compensation for you.

Call Truman Law Office at (502) 222-2222 or fill out our online contact form to request your free consultation. We have offices in Louisville and Jeffersonville, but we can also come to you.

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.