After filing a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company, the insurance adjuster assigned to the case will likely ask for many things. However, just because they ask, does not necessarily mean that you are required to provide this information.
Below, we discuss some of the common items that the insurance adjuster might request from you and how you should respond to these requests. For help dealing with insurance companies and to learn about your legal rights, contact an experienced Windsor car accident lawyer for a free consultation.
Your Personal Information
You should be prepared to provide your basic contact information to the insurance adjuster, such as your full name, address and telephone number. You may also be asked to identify the name of your employer and your position.
He or she may even press for more personal information, such as:
- Your work duties
- Your schedule
- Your income
- Details about your family
Unless your lawyer says otherwise, you are not required to provide this information.
Details About the Crash
Insurance adjusters will likely contact you to get as many details about the accident as possible. They may ask how the crash happened. You will need to provide some basic information, such as when it occurred, where the collision happened, the type of accident and which vehicles were involved.
However, you should avoid giving an opinion about how the accident happened or try to speculate on factors such as speeds, directions or other information. The insurance adjuster is there to protect the interests of the company. They will try to use anything you say against you, so it is usually best to limit what you say to him or her.
The Severity of Your Injuries
The insurance adjuster will want to find out about your injuries as quickly as possible. One common tactic that insurers use is to try to contact victims shortly after an accident and ask about the extent of the injuries. At this early stage, the victim may not know the full extent of their injuries or may even be on pain medication and not be coherent enough to understand the questions or implications.
You should avoid giving details about the severity of your injuries and instead defer these questions to your lawyer. If you provide information about your injuries, you may leave something out, misstate something or discover an injury later that you did not account for. These simple mistakes could potentially be used to try and prove that your statements are not consistent or that you are not as injured as you appear.
A full medical description of your injuries will likely be included in your demand package to the insurance company. Until then, you should only give a general description of your injuries or state that you are still receiving treatment.
Request Your Medical Records
The insurance adjuster may ask you to sign a blanket medical release form that allows him or her to obtain medical records on your behalf. However, these documents are often prepared to be much more expansive than necessary. It is usually better for your lawyer to obtain your medical records and provide relevant copies to the adjuster.
Give a Recorded Statement
The insurance adjuster will likely ask you to give a tape-recorded statement or ask to record your conversation on the phone. However, do not agree to this. There is no legal obligation to allow your conversations to be recorded and it is against the law to be recorded without your permission.
You might forget to mention something or say something you did not mean. Your verbal statement will likely not be as precise or as accurate as written correspondence your lawyer can later prepare on your behalf. Also, it might be difficult to correct something you said in a recorded statement later on.
Let Us Protect Your Legal Rights
If you were injured in a car accident, we recommend that you reach out to our legal team at Greg Monforton & Partners for help. We are prepared to protect your legal rights and provide you with careful guidance throughout the claims process. Let us communicate with the insurance companies on your behalf so you can focus on what matters – your recovery.
Request a free, no legal obligation consultation. There are no upfront fees and payment is only due if we recover compensation for you.
Call (866) 320-4770 to get started.