Many motorists who are in car accidents that cause significant damage—both to their property and physical health—do not realize at first the ramifications of what may have happened, and what will happen in the future. This all begins to unfold during that first phone call with the adjuster; in fact, you may not be far down the road after the accident before the phone rings. The insurer representing the other party may be calling and extending their sympathies over your injuries and property damage, but their agenda boils down to coldhearted business in the end. And while they may like you to think that you are all alone in dealing with them—and that it will stay that way—do not buy into any intimidation tactics. You should have an experienced car accident attorney on your side as soon as possible.
The bottom line is that if you have an insurance case pending, or think you may have one, you should not be speaking with the other insurer at all. It is in your best interest to offload all such tasks to your attorney, and it will probably make more sense to you why after your first conversation with an adjuster. At that point, you may still feel like you are on shaky ground physically, and answering a list of pointed questions could be an unsettling experience.
Along with the basic facts, an adjuster will probably ask you questions about exactly what happened, with a focus on your injuries, as they start calculating the cost of the claim overall. The adjuster may ask for your specific account of what happened, question you further about injuries and how you feel currently, along with asking if you would mind being recorded during your interview. The answer to all these questions should be that you are referring them to your car accident attorney. This is the normal course of business, and most likely they will not be surprised—although their attitude may change significantly when they find out they are dealing with an attorney and must watch their steps more carefully.
In asking questions about your health, be aware that adjusters will take very close note of what you say, mainly because the bulk of their pay-out could be for medical bills. They may also request your medical records, and even be able to view back through previous years, giving them ammunition to assert that whatever ails you now after the car accident is a result of a previous injury. They may also tell you that whatever you say is confidential; however, their only goal is to use your words against you and trip you up to pay less. Do not fall prey to the tricks of adjusters or intimidation tactics.
If you have been injured in a car accident due to the negligence of others, please call the law offices of Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC as soon as possible at (713) 748-7453 or visit AttorneySgtPike for a no obligation case review. As a variation of the system employed in trucking cases, Sgt. Attorney Pike activates and deploys the Car Accident Response Team or C.A.R.T. ™ immediately after being hired and in appropriate cases. A team of specialized personnel trained in every aspect of car wrecks and injuries is deployed. Let us help you!
