When you have been injured in a car accident, you may find yourself dealing with all kinds of people and agencies, some of whom may be less interested in getting you the care and monetary relief you deserve and more interested in getting the case closed quickly.
In such cases, it’s important to take the right steps to protect yourself from being used or short-changed at any point in a personal injury or car accident claim.
You may be working closely with an insurance adjuster who will be collecting information about the accident and whose goal is to talk you into accepting a settlement offer from his company as compensation for the injuries you sustained and the costs you may have incurred.
While receiving restitution and compensation sounds like it’s in line with your goals after an accident, the adjuster may not have your best interests in mind. It is important for you to be mindful that he or she works for the insurance company, not you, and will likely not be working to get you what you need or what is fair, but rather what is cheapest for the company.
An adjuster may try to get certain pieces of information from you that he can utilize to delay your claim or bring down its value. That said, you should know what information to share and what to keep to yourself, as you have no obligation to provide any details that could hurt your claim.
What Should You Say?
You do not have to provide any personal information beyond your name, phone number and address to an insurance adjuster. There is no need for them to ask about your life, driving history or work information. You can provide the name of your employer and the line of work you are in, but you don’t have to go into detail about your job description, duties or income.
When you first speak to an insurance adjuster, keep the conversation brief and on-topic. Do not let the adjuster try to distract you with “chit-chat” questions like what you do during the day or where you like to travel or shop. No matter how innocent these questions may appear, the adjuster could be using the information you provide to put together a profile of your life and wealth.
Accident Details
Another thing the insurance adjuster may ask about is the accident itself. He might ask you for your side of the story or for specific details about the crash or your actions before the accident. This information is not needed and could be used against you. Additionally, you should not provide details about any accidents you sustained in your initial conversation.
Working with an insurance adjuster can be tricky because you have to assume that the questions he or she asks could be used to bring down your claim. It is important to retain the services of an attorney to navigate these conversations. For more information regarding car accidents and insurance discussions, contact one of the Denver car accident lawyers at Levine Law today.
