What to Say – & Not To Say – to an Insurance Company After a Car Accident

The last thing any driver in Kentucky wants is to be involved in a vehicle accident. Unfortunately, vehicle accidents and collisions occur all the time throughout the Commonwealth. If you or somebody you care about has been involved in an auto accident, whether another driver was at fault or whether you were at fault, you are likely going to be dealing with insurance companies to resolve the incident. This also means you will have to talk to insurance claims adjusters.

Here, we want to discuss what you should say and should not say to an insurance claims adjuster after a car accident occurs. Knowing some of these simple facts could help ensure that you receive maximum compensation for your claim.

What You Should Be Telling the Insurance Claims Adjuster

You will have to speak to an insurance claims adjuster at some point, and you can be sure they will call fairly soon after an auto accident occurs. You will need to give some of the basic information about the accident to the adjuster. This includes:

• Where the accident occurred
• When the accident occurred
• The contact information of any eyewitnesses
• Any information about the other driver that you obtained
• Which police agency (if any) was involved

You do not need to go into detail about how the collision occurred. Additionally, you can tell the insurance company that you sustained injuries, but do not go into detail about your accident injuries.

What You Should Not Tell the Insurance Claims Adjuster

First, it is crucial to remember that you should not give a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster. You can be sure that the adjuster will try to tell you that you have to give a recorded statement in order for your claim to proceed, but this is not the truth. Kentucky law does not require you to give a recorded statement, and doing so could result in you saying something that could jeopardize your claim. Politely decline to give a recorded statement.

• Do not admit fault. Never admit fault, even if you are sure you were completely or partially responsible for the incident. Let the claims adjuster at the insurance company complete their investigation and make their own determination about who caused the crash.
• Do not discuss your injuries. Do not go into detail about your injuries. Often, personal injury victims do not know the full extent of how much care they will need until well after a crash occurs. If you tell an insurance claims adjuster details about your injuries soon after a collision occurs, it could result in you receiving a settlement far lower than you should actually get.
• Do not talk about your daily activities. Insurance claims adjusters may attempt to lure you into complacency and into letting your guard down by discussing your everyday activities. Do not go into detail about anything dealing with your life with an insurance claims adjuster, as they could use this information against you.
• Do not accept an early settlement. Insurance companies, and their adjusters, often make settlement offers very soon after a collision occurs. You need to know that early settlements are often far below what you should receive. Accepting a settlement offer before you know the full extent of your injuries or property damage is a mistake.
• Do not sign over your medical records. You should never discuss your past medical history or sign an authorization form releasing your complete medical history to an insurance claims adjuster. The auto insurance representative will use your past medical history against you in an attempt to lower the settlement you receive.