If you are involved in an accident where you are injured and have property damage, there’s a good chance the at-fault party’s insurance company will reach out to you. Typically, an insurance adjuster will call you to discuss the accident and your injuries.
At the beginning of the conversation, they may seem polite and engage in “small talk” while letting you know how sorry they are about the entire situation. Once the small talk ends, the adjuster may begin to ask pointed questions about the accident. Chances are they will tell you they need this before they can begin processing your claim.
This is an all-too-common scenario, and at this point, you should take a pause and carefully consider what you will say. A great step is to contact an attorney. Our legal team at Jonathan Perkins Injury Lawyers can handle these conversations on your behalf to ensure you don’t say anything that may harm your ability to recover compensation.
What to Say to Insurance Adjusters: The Short Answer
Ideally, you should say nothing about the accident or your injuries to an insurance adjuster. In fact, it’s best if you don’t speak with them at all.
If you do receive a call from the at-fault party’s insurance company, let them know an attorney is representing you and that they should contact them.
Don’t provide the insurance adjuster with any information, and make sure you contact our experienced personal injury lawyer after your accident. We can provide advice and guidance regarding what you should and shouldn’t do to protect your rights for compensation.
For a free legal consultation, call 203-437-6190
Reasons to Never Speak to Insurance Adjusters After a Connecticut Accident
It may seem natural to provide an insurance adjuster with basic information about your accident and injuries to start the claims processing. You may think there is no harm in doing this. If you just provide the facts, it will clearly show that the other party was at-fault for your accident.
Unfortunately, these situations are much more complex than most people realize. The insurance adjuster will likely tell you they need to know what happened and what led to the accident. This question intends to “trick” you into admitting in some way that you are at least partially at fault for your injuries and the damages to your property. If they succeed, it’s possible to reduce the value of your claim, often significantly.
Common Questions Insurance Adjusters May Ask About Your Accident
Some examples of questions an insurance adjuster may ask you include:
How fast were you going when the accident occurred?
If you indicate, in any way, that you were traveling higher than the posted speed limit, then they may claim you weren’t able to stop in time. The reason for this is your high rate of speed, which means they can shift responsibility for the accident to you.
Were you using your phone, changing the radio, or doing something else when the accident occurred?
When this question is asked, it means the insurance adjuster is trying to determine if you were distracted in any way when the accident occurred. This is another way to shift blame to you for the accident, injuries, and damage.
Why didn’t you take steps to avoid the collision?
The purpose of this question is to determine if you weren’t paying attention to the road. They want to know if it is possible that you could have avoided the accident if you were.
Remember, all the questions an insurance adjuster asks will be focused on showing that you, in some way, were responsible for the accident, at least partially. Remember, they can find information about the accident in the police report. It’s clear that the only reason they have contacted you is to gather information to help reduce your claim’s value.
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Injury Related Questions
Most insurance adjusters will ask for information about your damages and injuries, too. They want to see if you admit or indicate that you were not hurt at the accident site or that you didn’t receive care or treatment right away. With this information, they can make the claim you weren’t really hurt.
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Contact Our Legal Team for Help
If you talk to an insurance adjuster before contacting a personal injury lawyer, you may say something that undermines your case and hurts its value. At Jonathan Perkins Injury Lawyers, we are here to help. We can handle all calls and communication with insurance adjusters and ensure no information is given that may impact your claim.
If you have been involved in an accident in Connecticut, it’s best to get in touch with us right away. We can investigate your accident and work to help you recover the maximum compensation possible for your injuries and damages.
