Should You Give a Statement to Insurance Adjusters After a Car Accident?

If you have been in a serious car accident, you will soon get a call from an insurance adjuster who will ask you to provide a recorded statement. The adjuster will claim that your recorded statement can accelerate your claim process; however, they are only trying to obtain information that can be used against you. You might end up saying something that gives the insurance company a reason to devalue or deny your accident claim. 

Before you agree to provide the adjuster with a recorded statement, you must contact Los Angeles car accident attorneys first. A lawyer can give a free consultation to talk about your claim. 

How Insurance Companies May Trick Accident Victims

Insurance providers train their claims adjusters to use different tactics to try to get you to say things that can ruin your claim. These tactics include the following:

• Being friendly to you. When an insurance adjuster approaches you, they may act friendly to make you feel comfortable. This way, you can say things that can weaken your credibility. Once you feel comfortable talking to the adjuster, you may share with them an experience that can ruin your claim. For instance, you may tell them that you had a drink at a bar with a friend before the crash occurred. The adjuster can use this statement to try to blame you for the crash. 

• Asking misleading questions. An insurance adjuster is experienced in phrasing questions to lead you into responding in a way that can damage your claim. Also, they may force you to agree to false statements or make you think you don’t remember much about the crash. 

By saying too much to an adjuster, you allow them to compare your statement with those you made to law enforcement or doctor. Once they find inconsistencies, they may attack your credibility and assert that you were lying to justify a denial of your claim. 

Allow Your Lawyer to Handle Communications with the Insurance Company

Following a car accident, you may be in pain, confused, and anxious. Because of this, you may forget things or fail to communicate information clearly. The majority of car accident lawyers will tell you to avoid giving a statement under such conditions. A skilled lawyer can deal with the insurance adjuster on your behalf. They are used to speaking with insurance adjusters regularly and know the information to provide and what to do to protect your claim.