Do You Have to Talk to the Insurance Adjuster in Your NJ Personal Injury Case?
Our attorneys have over seven
decades combined experience.
While you have to report your accident to your own insurance company, you may not realize that you don’t have to speak to the negligent driver’s insurance company. They will inevitably try to contact you, but you’re under no real obligation to help the insurance adjuster work against you. You certainly don’t have to give a recorded statement.
Ideally you will have a personal injury attorney selected and working for you long before this happens. Your attorney can file the claim on your behalf, and you can tell the adjuster to speak directly to your lawyer.
The Adjuster Has One Job
The adjuster may try to tell you that they can’t pay you if you don’t cooperate, but this is a lie. They can.
They’re just trying to get you to say something that you shouldn’t say. Something that gives them a case for saying that you were partially negligent, or even a case for claiming that you were the at-fault driver.
They may also try to get you to sign a medical release form that. You should avoid signing this as it can create massive problems for you. It could give them grounds to conflate your current injuries with pre-existing conditions, for example. They may also try to get you to agree to let their doctor take a look at you. Their doctor works for them, and is going to find ways to create “evidence” that undermines your case.
The adjuster’s job is to make sure the insurance company they work for pays as little as possible. That’s part of what they’re evaluated on. Part of what is considered when they are considered for raises and promotions. They are not your friend. Their goal is to get you to accept a low settlement if they can, or trick you into being completely ineligible for a payout at all.
Deny, delay, lower the value, settle for less than it’s worth…they’re going to do whatever it takes. They may even try to get you to settle the claim before you complete medical treatment, long before you know what the actual value of the claim is.
Contact Us First
If it’s better, smarter, and easier for you to just take the lower settlement on offer, we’ll be the first to tell you. We can still give you an idea of what not to say to the insurance adjuster as you file your claim.
Contact us first. You can call us at any time. You can call us the moment you’re feeling up to it, medically. Your initial consultation is free.
See also:
Do All New Jersey Car Accidents Require Help from a Personal Injury Attorney?
Practice Areas
Practice Areas
While you have to report your accident to your own insurance company, you may not realize that you don’t have to speak to the negligent driver’s insurance company. They will inevitably try to contact you, but you’re under no real obligation to help the insurance adjuster work against you. You certainly don’t have to give a recorded statement.
Ideally you will have a personal injury attorney selected and working for you long before this happens. Your attorney can file the claim on your behalf, and you can tell the adjuster to speak directly to your lawyer.
The Adjuster Has One Job
The adjuster may try to tell you that they can’t pay you if you don’t cooperate, but this is a lie. They can.
They’re just trying to get you to say something that you shouldn’t say. Something that gives them a case for saying that you were partially negligent, or even a case for claiming that you were the at-fault driver.
They may also try to get you to sign a medical release form that. You should avoid signing this as it can create massive problems for you. It could give them grounds to conflate your current injuries with pre-existing conditions, for example. They may also try to get you to agree to let their doctor take a look at you. Their doctor works for them, and is going to find ways to create “evidence” that undermines your case.
The adjuster’s job is to make sure the insurance company they work for pays as little as possible. That’s part of what they’re evaluated on. Part of what is considered when they are considered for raises and promotions. They are not your friend. Their goal is to get you to accept a low settlement if they can, or trick you into being completely ineligible for a payout at all.
Deny, delay, lower the value, settle for less than it’s worth…they’re going to do whatever it takes. They may even try to get you to settle the claim before you complete medical treatment, long before you know what the actual value of the claim is.
Contact Us First
If it’s better, smarter, and easier for you to just take the lower settlement on offer, we’ll be the first to tell you. We can still give you an idea of what not to say to the insurance adjuster as you file your claim.
Contact us first. You can call us at any time. You can call us the moment you’re feeling up to it, medically. Your initial consultation is free.
See also:
Do All New Jersey Car Accidents Require Help from a Personal Injury Attorney?