You’ll probably get a call from the defendant’s insurance company after you’ve been involved in a personal injury accident. This is especially true if you’ve just been involved in a car accident. Your lawyer will tell you that there are some things you should say and some things you should keep your mouth shut about. This article will discuss that in more detail.
Be professional and remain calm
Your personal injury lawyer in London will tell you that you should ‘keep your cool’ when talking with the defendant’s insurance adjuster. Doing so will go far in terms of helping you get the settlement that you want and need from the defendant’s insurance company.
Be sure you know who the person who you speak with is. Your lawyer will tell you that your first priority is to get the name of the insurance adjuster to who you are talking to. You should also get the name of the insurance company that he or she works for, and the person or business that he or she represents.
Be careful with what you tell the insurance adjuster about
It’s best not to ‘give away the company’s industrial secrets even when asked.’ What this means is that you should only tell the insurance adjuster basic information about yourself. This includes your name, physical address, phone number, and what you do for a living. Don’t explain or describe what the nature of your work is, how much you make in a year, or what your work schedule is like.
Don’t say anything about your accident
Your personal injury lawyer will tell you not to give the insurance adjuster a written or oral statement about the accident. You’ll also be advised not to discuss the accident at all with the insurance adjuster. Doing so could actually work against you.
Say nothing about your injuries
Since the insurance adjuster is not a medical or legal professional, it’s really none of his or her business to know anything about your injuries. Don’t say anything about your injuries even when asked. Doing so could work against you.
Document everything
Be sure to document every detail that you can about your conversation with the insurance adjuster.
Don’t take the first settlement offer
This is sure to be a very low offer. It is definitely not what you deserve and probably won’t cover all of the expenses related to your personal injury accident.
Limit what is discussed in the conversation
Tell the insurance company right away that you are not going to discuss much in your conversation with him or her. Also, inform him or her that you don’t want to get repeated calls from him or her. If you talk with the insurance adjuster frequently, the person will probably try to pressure you into accepting a settlement immediately.
Say no to recorded statements
You are not legally required to give a recorded statement so tell the insurance adjuster that you will not be giving him or her one. There is a good chance that you will forget details because you are nervous while giving the statement. They also tend not to be as accurate as the demand letters that you will send to your insurance company will be.