After you’ve been in a car accident, you should consider hiring a personal injury attorney to help you file your claim. This will help you ensure that you’re probably compensated, but only if you don’t say the wrong thing to an auto insurance adjuster. With this in mind, here are a few of the key things you should never tell them, especially if you’re hoping to receive a settlement.
Never admit that you’re at fault for the auto collision.
The insurance adjuster is there to collect information regarding the accident and how it occurred. You need to be very careful about what you say to them. Even when you feel as though you may be the one that caused the car accident, you need to understand that there are multiple, complex factors at play that could relieve you of any fault. Admitting fault to an insurance adjuster may make it difficult, if not impossible, for an attorney to come alongside you and prove that the other party is really the one who’s at fault.
Never share your medical records with the insurance company.
An insurance adjuster can use the medical records (e.g., bills, information about injuries, treatment plans) from your car accident. These things can all be used to build a case against you if you go to court due to your auto collision.
Remember, while an insurance company may act like they’re your friend after you’ve been in a car accident, they’re rarely on your side. Typically, they want to pay out the least amount of money possible. Therefore, when they’re asking for your information, you should be skeptical regarding their intentions. Always talk to your attorney before proceeding. They’ll know how to act in your best interest.
Never share any unnecessary information.
Since you don’t know what information is necessary for your insurance company to have after you’ve been in an auto collision, you should always proceed as if the information could be used against you. Therefore, it’s best to avoid giving them anything other than what the law requires you to share with them. Besides not sharing medical records, you also never want to share things like who’s involved in the car accident and their contact information or what happened.
Never make any assumptions about the auto collision.
Although it’s normal to form opinions and ideas regarding what happened in a car accident, you never want to share this information with an insurance adjuster. Sure, they’ll ask you questions that encourage you to speculate about the accident and what happened, but it’s in your best interest to avoid doing so. Instead, let the official documents (e.g., police report, medical records) tell the story for you.
Never provide a recorded statement.
Quite likely, you’ll be asked by the insurance adjuster to allow them to record your conversation. It’s in your best interest to decline because it’s too easy to say something that’ll negatively impact your auto collision claim. Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where you can’t decline. You can always hang up the phone, and in such situations, you should do so. This is important because insurance adjusters are experts at getting people to say things that’ll negatively impact their claims.
Never proceed without an attorney.
Sometimes an insurance adjuster will ask if you have an attorney. Never answer this question. Instead, make sure you have an attorney on your side. Here at the Blenner Law Group in Palm Harbor, FL, we’ve helped numerous clients win their auto collision claims. Our experienced attorneys offer free case reviews for those who aren’t certain whether they should even file a claim. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation.
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