What You Shouldn’t Say to Insurance Adjusters

Insurance adjusters are trained to appear friendly, but remember, they aren’t on your side.

An insurance company pays a claims adjuster to evaluate claims and establish the insurer’s potential obligation. You should never trust that an insurance adjuster is on your side, even if they appear kind and really concerned about your health and well-being.

The adjuster will, in most circumstances, be deliberately working against you. Insurance adjusters are taught to engage in informal conversations with victims in order to elicit adverse information about their cases. Remember that they work for the insurance company, and their primary purpose is to save money for the company by paying you as little as possible.

You must be extremely careful about what information you share with an insurance adjuster. Say as little as possible. Better still refer all communications to an attorney.

Schedule a free consultation at Cunnane Law in Edmonds WA to discuss your situation. Call or contact us online now.

What You Can Say to an Adjuster

You should not say anything to a claim adjuster or anyone else if you have already hired an attorney. Simply refer them to your legal counsel.

If you don’t already have an attorney, you can provide an insurance adjuster with basic information like your name, address, and phone number. We advise against providing any additional information about yourself, such as your employment status.

Limit the amount of information you share about the accident as well. It is acceptable to provide an adjuster with the time, date, and location of an accident, as well as details about the vehicles involved and any possible witness contact information.

Do not go into detail about how the accident occurred. Even if pressed, refuse to provide a written or recorded statement about the accident.

What Not to Say to an Adjuster

Never admit any kind of wrongdoing or say you’re sorry. Remember that a claims adjuster is looking for reasons to reduce an insurance company’s liability, and any admission of negligence can seriously jeopardize a claim.

Do not say you feel fine, or better than you did, (this is especially important when answering the common first question, “How are you?”). Never mention your current health situation.

Do not speculate about any injuries you believe you may have sustained. If your actual diagnosis is more serious than your self-diagnosis, your statement may present a problem.

Refuse any request by insurance adjusters to make a recorded statement. A recorded statement can sabotage your case.

What Are Insurance Adjusters Looking For?

The primary concern of many insurance adjusters is ensuring that a claim is not fraudulent. In most cases, an adjuster will conduct a physical examination of the vehicles involved.

The adjuster may contact medical providers to determine not only the costs of your medical care, but also whether previous injuries could be used to reduce the value of your current claim.

How Do Personal Injury Adjusters Determine Compensation?

If an insurance adjuster believes liability is clear after conducting an investigation, they may offer the victim a settlement. In almost every case, this initial amount is significantly less than what a victim may be entitled to.

Lowball offers are made in order to close the cases of the most desperate victims as quickly as possible. In more serious accidents, the adjuster may offer a larger sum, but it will still be potentially less than they could receive if they hired a lawyer.

Allow Our Law Firm to Help

For the past 23 years, Cunnane Law has assisted injured people all over Seattle and western Washington in dealing with insurance companies. An experienced lawyer could be extremely beneficial in ensuring that you do not accidentally say anything that jeopardizes your claim. We are aware of their tricks and can assist you in avoiding being taken advantage of. Set up a free consultation by calling or contacting us online.

Note: This information was provided not for any specific claim and is written in broad and general terms and may not be the right path to follow for a particular claim or case. This information is not intended to create an attorney client relationship. It is always best to receive direct legal counsel for your legal issues. It is never too early to call the attorney, but it can be too late.