Do I Have to Talk to the Insurance Adjuster After a Florida Car Accident?

When you are injured in a Florida Car Accident, you can guarantee that you will be receiving telephone calls from multiple insurance adjusters. If you have a claim for both property damage and injuries, you will likely be called by one or more adjusters working for your own insurance company. There will also be adjusters working for the insurance company of the driver that hit you. There may even be more depending on the number of cars in the accident, and the claims you are asserting.

If you have retained an attorney to help you with your claim, your attorney will deal with all these insurance adjusters so you won’t have to worry about it. If you don’t have an attorney working for you, you are going to have to talk to them yourself as they will need information to process your claim. However, the information you have to provide, and how you have to provide it, will be different when dealing with your insurance company versus the insurance company for the other driver.

It is perfectly fine to talk to property insurance adjusters after an accident, even if they work for the other driver’s insurance company. These adjusters are only concerned with the property damage. They should not be asking about your injuries or physical condition. If they do, politely decline to discuss your injuries. If you are asked for facts about the accident by the property insurance adjuster for the other driver, it is best if you just refer the adjuster to the police accident report, and avoid giving a narrative of what happened.

As for any other adjusters that may call you from the other driver’s insurance company, be polite and refer them to the police accident report for information about how the accident happened. Also, provide them only with basic information, like your date of birth or the identity of your health insurer, if you have one. Never give them your social security number.

Do I Have to Give the Adjuster a Recorded Statement?

It is important to know that after your accident, the insurance company for the driver that hit you will immediately start gathering information to defend against your claim. One trick the adjuster will use is to call you as quickly as possible – before you have had a chance to speak with an attorney – and ask you to provide a recorded statement. Although this may sound innocent enough, it is anything but innocent.

When dealing with the insurance company for the driver that hit you, DO NOT GIVE THE ADJUSTER A RECORDED STATEMENT! As this is not your insurance company, you have no obligation to provide them with a recorded statement.

If, however, an adjuster for your own insurance company calls you and asks you for a recorded statement, YOU HAVE TO COMPLY! The reason for this is that you are contractually obligated to cooperate with your own insurance company. Your insurance policy also likely contains a specific provision requiring you to give a recorded statement when asked. If you fail to comply, your insurance company will likely deny your claim. With that said, we recommend that you consult with an attorney before giving any adjuster a statement.

Beware of the Chatty Adjuster

When an insurance adjuster calls on behalf of the insurance company for the driver that hit you, he/she will often times act very concerned and sympathetic for what you have gone through. The adjuster may also try to make small talk with you. This may make you feel more at ease, and you may naturally want to engage in conversation. Beware of this! The insurance adjuster is not your friend. Insurance adjusters are professionals whose job it is to not only adjust claims but to also save the insurance company money. Although you may think the conversation is harmless, the adjuster is likely noting everything you say. So, remember the old saying, “everything you say can and will be used against you.”

Free Information

If you have questions about your Florida auto accident case, you can download our Free Report – Things You Must Know If You Were In a Car Accident – which is available at our website, or you can click the link provided. You can also contact us at 813-797-5998.

What You MUST Know If You Were In A Car Accident In Florida

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