Key Takeaways:
- Insurance adjusters work for the insurer, not you, and their job is to minimize what you’re paid.
- Stick to basic facts with an adjuster and avoid recorded statements, settlement speculation, or prognosis discussions.
- Adjusters use tactics like friendly rapport, quick settlements, and pressure to get you to say something that weakens your claim; don’t let them.
Insurance adjusters are persistent. They often reach out to you within 24 to 48 hours after an accident requesting a recorded statement. Many of them like to frame their motivation around empathy and quick resolutions. In reality, adjusters work to reduce compensation and limit insurer exposure.
This ulterior motive is the driving force behind every conversation you have with an insurance adjuster. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to talk to insurance adjusters. Every word should be guarded and precise. While their quick settlement offers and friendly banter might be comforting in the moment, their concern is not your health or financial well-being.
Don’t let fear, pain, or restlessness be the drivers of your decision. Know who you’re talking to and understand how to deal with insurance adjusters after an accident before you ever consider a conversation with them or weigh the pros and cons of their offers. Your health and recovery are paramount.
Handling the Insurance Adjuster
Too many people fall prey to the friendly demeanor of adjusters, failing to realize or ignoring that they are professionals with a job to do. This friendliness opens the door to casual conversations where claimants are no longer thinking about what to say to an insurance adjuster. They see the adjuster as a trusting acquaintance, even a friend.
This isn’t to say insurance adjusters are somehow evil. They are employees or contractors with a job to do. As a claimant, your job is to protect your claim with precise language and adherence to medical and recovery treatment. Your job is more manageable with the guidance and protection of a personal injury lawyer—someone who knows how to deal with insurance adjusters after an accident and understands the legal game they’re playing.
No Win, No Fee
Segal, Berk, Gaines & Liss helps you by arranging and taking over all direct communication with the at-fault adjuster. If your attendance is necessary, you’ll have a lawyer present for every interaction or call, ensuring you always know how to talk to insurance adjusters instead of having to navigate the conversation alone. The firm offers this with no upfront fees. You only pay a fee after you win.
Understanding Who the Insurance Adjuster Works For
When considering what to say to an insurance adjuster, it’s important to have context. The adjuster doesn’t work for you; they work for the insurer either as full-time employees or as third-party contractors. Their financial allegiance and legal duty are to the insurer, not you.
Understanding this should change how you deal with insurance adjusters after an accident. While these professionals aren’t villains, they are antagonists of your claim. Their purpose and contractual obligation is to protect the profit margins of the insurer, and they do this by minimizing financial payouts.
How you talk to an insurance adjuster can weaken your claim and your argument for compensation. If you’re overly casual or too eager to please, it’s possible to undermine the severity of your injuries or complicate standing liability assessments. A simple comment like, “I feel good today” or “I didn’t see the other driver,” is an opportunity for the adjuster to attack the credibility of your claim. Don’t let that happen.
Knowing What To Say to an Insurance Adjuster
While an attorney can teach you how to deal with insurance adjusters after an accident and even take over direct communication, sometimes an adjuster reaches out before you have legal representation. What should you do or say then?
Keep it brief and direct. Stick to the basic facts: date, location, and that you were seen by a doctor. Don’t trail off into tangents or try to overexplain. The adjuster may try to get you to explain your actions or tell them your thoughts. Don’t fall for it. You should avoid several topics:
- Settlement speculation
- Pain levels
- Recovery prognosis or timeline
Also, avoid recorded statements. In Pennsylvania, you have no legal obligation to the at-fault insurer, especially regarding recorded conversations.
Talking to Insurance Adjusters Without Hurting Your Claim
After an accident, how you deal with insurance adjusters depends on whether you do or don’t have an attorney. Without an attorney, you want to be careful about how you talk to insurance adjusters, being mindful of every answer. But if you have an attorney, they’ll handle any direct communication.
If you have direct contact with an insurance adjuster, ask that they submit their question in writing. This allows you to control the conversation and stick to the details of the incident. For all phone calls, log the date, time, and topics discussed.
If the adjuster pushes for more detailed responses, redirect their questions to your attorney. Remember, unless the adjuster works for your insurer, you have no contractual obligation to them. Let your attorney determine what to say to the insurance adjuster and preserve your claims narrative.
Recognizing Common Adjuster Tactics
Adjusters have more than one approach to weakening your claim or payout, and recognizing the shift from one tactic to the next can help you stay guarded.
The Friendly Persona and Quick Settlement
To safeguard your personal injury claim, you not only need to understand how to deal with insurance adjusters after an accident, but you also must learn how to spot their tactics. The friendly confidant persona is only one tool. They also use quick cash settlements paired with a release of liability form.
Pressure Tactics and Authority
If empathy and financial incentive don’t work, they may pivot to pressure tactics and an air of authority. This is where knowing how to talk to insurance adjusters is critical. The adjuster pressures you into recorded conversations by saying they’re standard or mandatory. They’ll try to shift fault by saying something like, “based on our assessment, you could’ve avoided this if…”
Blanket Medical Authorization Requests
When these incentives or manipulation tactics fail, the adjuster may ask you to sign a blanket medical authorization form, claiming it’s necessary for compensation. They use this to dig through your entire medical history, looking for anything that could explain your current injuries as pre-existing conditions.
Letting Segal, Berk, Gaines & Liss Handle What To Say to Insurance Adjusters
Knowing how to deal with insurance adjusters after an accident is a lot to manage while you’re still healing. Segal, Berk, Gaines & Liss takes over every conversation with the adjuster, so nothing you say gets twisted against you. Book a free consultation, and let an attorney handle the rest.
About Derek Liss, Esq.
Derek Liss, Esq., is a partner at Segal, Berk, Gaines & Liss, specializing in personal injury law.
Derek earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The George Washington University in 1991 and his Juris Doctor from Widener School of Law in 1994. He joined Segal, Berk, Gaines & Liss immediately after law school and brings 30 years of legal experience to his clients.
A member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, he practices throughout the greater Philadelphia region and is admitted to practice in the courts of Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
