A person has to face several troubles after being injured in a car accident such as lost wages, economic distress like medical bills, car repairing, etc. To recover compensation for the injuries and property loss suffered, the victim needs to file the claim with the insurance carrier of the at fault.
Soon, the victim receives calls from the insurance adjuster of the negligent party. Their sweet talk might be an attempt to that make a statement that is not in favor of your claim. Even their most innocuous questions can affect the value of the claim.
What To Do When An Insurance Company Contacts You?
Right after the accident happens, the insurance company of the liable party will possibly call the claimant to conduct a session. The purpose of this session is to document every detail of the accident from the claimant’s point of view and determine what damages were caused by the accident.
Though it’s not recommended, if you choose to speak with their insurance adjuster without hiring an attorney then only give information about the property damage caused due to the accident.
Do not communicate any information about your injuries to the insurance carrier until you have completed all the medical treatment. Many times, victims tend to downplay the severities of wounds when they speak to the insurance carrier.
If you do this and then later some additional diagnostic testing tells that you have some serious injuries or infection, then the adjuster will underestimate the claim by arguing that some other event happened after the accident that made injuries worse.
What Questions Should You Answer and Not Answer the Insurance Adjusters?
The insurance representative of the negligent party will ask the victim many questions regarding the car crash. Here are some common questions that insurance adjusters might ask, and the claimant should answer:
- Please state the time and date when the accident occurred.
- What was the model, year, and make of the car you were driving at the time of the accident.
- Was there any other vehicle involved?
- What damaged accident caused to your vehicle?
- Was the car needed repairs? If so, then which shop did you take it to?
- Do you have a police report?
Here are some example questions that insurer of at-fault driver asks, and you should not answer:
- What were your travel directions?
- How did the accident occur?
- Were you wearing a seatbelt when the car wreck happened?
- Did weather play any role in the car crash?
- Were you hurt?
- Any accident witness you know? If so, can you share their contact details?
- Were you taken to the hospital or treated by the paramedic?
The insurance adjuster pressurizes the claimant to answer these questions and makes you feel bad if you do not answer these questions. You can simply answer them that you are not prepared to discuss how the accident happened but once completed the medical treatment you will follow up.
It is best to hire a skilled car accident lawyer riverside before speaking with an insurance adjuster. They know how to deal with the insurance company representatives and prepare their clients for the questions they ask.
