4 Considerations When Speaking to an Insurance Adjuster

Auto accidents cause stress and aggravation, especially if severe injuries are involved. A person's life changes as they deal with physical and psychological trauma. Luckily, victims have the right to monetary compensation from an insurer. You may expect contact from the at-fault party's insurance adjuster as they collect information for a defense strategy. 

You can speak to an insurance adjuster—however, avoid saying anything that can jeopardize your personal injury claim. Discussions with an adjuster may be difficult for victims because of ongoing pain and stress, which might lead to costly errors. Here are essential considerations when speaking to an insurance adjuster after your accident.

1. Resist Suggestions to Settle Compensation Fast

An insurance adjuster might propose a settlement agreement to you during the course of a phone conversation. Usually, an adjuster wants an injured party to accept an offer that saves an insurance company time and money. Unfortunately, some claimants fall into the trap to avoid a lengthy case. Therefore, resist the urge to settle compensation quickly—you still don't understand the extent of your injuries and may be inadequately compensated. 

Object to an adjuster's proposal to accept an insurance company's offer during a phone call. A quick settlement without legal advice is not the best move, although the money offered might be tempting. Instead, let your attorney handle everything related to the negotiations to improve your chances of getting fair compensation.

2. Oppose Suggestions to Record Conversation

Information is critical in auto accident injury claims, which is why insurance adjusters scramble to gather as much information as possible. Particularly, adjusters value information from a victim. Consequently, you can expect some insurer representatives to request your consent to record conversations.

Decline all attempts to make you agree to record telephone sessions. Instead, share pertinent details regarding an injury case with your lawyer only. Additionally, inform your attorney immediately if an insurance adjuster contacts you.

3. Limit the Information You Share

An adjuster's primary objective is to save an insurer money. Therefore, although an adjuster might sound compassionate over the phone, it could be a tactic to make you feel comfortable and open up. After all, their priority is the insurance company's interests, not a car accident victim.

Limit the information you provide a claims adjuster when they contact you. For instance, inform an adjuster what you will be willing to address from the onset. Additionally, only describe injuries in general terms and avoid details such as pain severity since your condition might change. Watch the details you share with an adjuster to allow your attorney to build a solid and impenetrable claims case.

4. Stay Calm

Stress is a natural reaction for car accident victims since an accident disrupts every part of your everyday life. Therefore, it is easy to direct your anger to an adjuster when they contact you, mainly because their job is to adjust a claim in favor of an insurance company. However, resist the urge to get angry when speaking to an adjuster because it can jeopardize your claims case.

Stay calm and talk politely when a claims adjuster calls you to increase your chances of getting fair compensation. In particular, most personal injury cases end in a settlement; therefore, the likelihood of sitting at a negotiating table with an insurance company is high. In addition, a calm demeanor can help in various ways؅—for instance, an insurance adjuster is more likely to believe your account of events or handle your claim promptly.

A conversation with an insurance adjuster after an auto accident can make or break your personal injury claim. Contact us for professional legal representation in personal injury cases.