What Not to Say to an Insurance Adjuster

Insurance adjusters sound friendly, concerned, and helpful when they call after your accident. They express sympathy for your situation and seem eager to resolve your claim quickly. But these trained professionals work for insurance companies whose primary goal is minimizing payouts. Every word you say to them can and will be used to reduce or deny your claim.

Our lawyers discuss how innocent mistakes during adjuster conversations routinely cost claimants thousands of dollars in reduced settlements. A car accident lawyer can handle communications with insurance companies, preventing the common errors that damage otherwise valid claims.

Apologizing Or Accepting Blame

The biggest mistake people make is apologizing or making statements that sound like admissions of fault. Saying “I’m sorry” feels natural after an accident, but adjusters interpret apologies as admissions of responsibility.

Comments like “I didn’t see him” or “I should have been paying more attention” become evidence you caused the accident. Even if you weren’t at fault, these statements give insurance companies ammunition to argue comparative negligence and reduce your compensation.

Adjusters ask leading questions designed to get you to accept partial blame. They might ask “Were you distracted?” or “How fast were you going?” These questions aim to build a record suggesting you contributed to the accident.

Providing Recorded Statements Too Soon

Insurance adjusters often request recorded statements within hours or days of an accident, before you understand your injuries or have consulted an attorney. These recordings become permanent evidence used throughout your claim.

You’re under no legal obligation to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company. Politely declining until you’ve spoken with legal counsel protects you from making statements you’ll regret later.

Even statements to your own insurance company should be approached carefully. While your policy might require cooperation, you can provide basic information without giving a detailed recorded statement about fault or injuries.

Discussing Injuries Before Knowing Their Extent

Many injuries don’t manifest immediately after accidents. Adrenaline masks pain, and some conditions like whiplash, concussions, or internal injuries take hours or days to become apparent. Telling an adjuster you’re fine or only have minor injuries creates problems when you discover the true extent of your harm.

Adjusters ask how you’re feeling hoping to get you to minimize your injuries. They want you on record saying you feel okay or aren’t badly hurt, then they’ll use that statement against you when you later seek compensation for serious injuries.

The honest answer to “How are you feeling?” in the first days after an accident is “I’m still being evaluated by doctors.” This acknowledges your condition is uncertain without making claims about feeling fine that can’t be taken back later.

Speculating About What Happened

Adjusters ask you to explain exactly how the accident occurred, including details you might not remember or know. People naturally fill in gaps in their memory with assumptions about what probably happened, but these speculations become recorded as facts.

If you don’t remember something, say so. Don’t guess at speeds, distances, timing, or other details. Statements like “I think I was going about 40” become “admitted I was speeding” if the speed limit was 35, even if you were actually going 30 but genuinely didn’t remember.

Adjusters also ask what other drivers or witnesses said or did. You don’t know what others were thinking, what they saw, or why they acted as they did. Stick to what you personally observed without speculating about others’ actions or motivations.

Giving Too Much Information

Insurance adjusters are skilled at keeping conversations going and getting people to talk freely. The more you say, the more opportunities you create for statements that can be used against you. Answer questions directly and briefly without elaborating or volunteering additional information.

Questions that invite damaging oversharing include:

• “Tell me about your day before the accident”
• “What were you doing when it happened?”
• “Do you have any prior injuries or medical conditions?”
• “How has this affected your daily life?”
• “Are you able to work right now?”

These open-ended questions encourage rambling responses that often include admissions about pre-existing conditions, daily activities that seem inconsistent with injury claims, or statements minimizing your damages.

Agreeing To Settlements Before Treatment Concludes

Adjusters often make early settlement offers when you’re stressed about medical bills and lost wages. They know you’re vulnerable and might accept inadequate compensation just to have money coming in.

Never agree to any settlement amount during initial conversations with adjusters. You can’t know what your claim is worth until you’ve completed treatment, reached maximum medical improvement, and understand the full impact of your injuries on your life.

Even saying “that sounds reasonable” or “I might consider that” gives adjusters leverage to argue you agreed to a number and are now trying to get more than you’re entitled to.

Providing Unnecessary Medical Authorization

Adjusters request signed medical authorization forms early in the process, making it sound like standard procedure required to process your claim. These forms often grant broad access to your complete medical history, not just records related to your current accident.

You don’t have to sign blanket medical releases. You can provide records specifically related to your accident treatment without giving insurance companies access to your entire medical history going back years.

Broad medical access allows insurance companies to search for pre-existing conditions, unrelated health issues, or anything else they can use to argue your injuries aren’t as serious as claimed or existed before the accident.

Downplaying Financial Impact

Adjusters ask about your lost wages, medical expenses, and other costs in ways that encourage minimizing your losses. You might say your job is understanding about time off, or that friends are helping with tasks you can’t do, or that you’re managing okay financially.

These statements get used to argue your damages are lower than claimed. If you told the adjuster you’re managing fine, they’ll question why you’re now seeking substantial compensation for lost income and household services.

The financial impact of injuries extends beyond immediate bills. Future medical needs, long-term limitations, and reduced earning capacity all factor into fair compensation, but you won’t know these costs until well after initial adjuster conversations.

Describing Social Media Or Daily Activities

Adjusters ask about your daily routine, hobbies, and activities. They want you to describe going to work, running errands, or participating in family events. These descriptions get compared to your injury claims to find inconsistencies.

If you mention attending a child’s soccer game, the adjuster will argue you’re well enough to sit at sporting events for hours. If you say you’re able to drive to doctor appointments, they’ll question claims about mobility limitations.

Information about your social media use is particularly dangerous. Adjusters note what platforms you use and check them for posts that might contradict your injury claim. Anything you mention about online activity helps them monitor your accounts more effectively.

Not Understanding The Adjuster’s Role

The friendly adjuster on the phone is not your advocate or ally. They work for the insurance company whose financial interest is directly opposed to yours. Every dollar they save by reducing your settlement is money they keep.

Adjusters are trained in tactics that encourage people to provide damaging information without realizing they’re hurting their own cases. Their job is protecting their employer’s bottom line by minimizing claim payments.

Treating adjuster conversations as casual chats with helpful people leads to letting your guard down and making mistakes that reduce your settlement value.

What You Should Say Instead

Keep responses brief, factual, and limited to basic information. You can confirm the accident occurred, provide the date and location, and identify the vehicles involved without getting into details about fault or injuries.

When asked about injuries, explain that you’re under medical care and your condition is still being evaluated. When asked about fault, state that you’re still gathering information and the investigation is ongoing.

It’s perfectly acceptable to say you’re not comfortable discussing details until you’ve consulted with an attorney. Adjusters might pressure you or suggest this makes you difficult, but protecting your interests matters more than being cooperative.

Getting Help Before Speaking With Adjusters

The best way to avoid these mistakes is having professional representation before talking to insurance adjusters. Attorneys handle these conversations regularly and know how to provide necessary information without damaging your claim.

If you’ve already spoken with an adjuster and are worried something you said might have hurt your case, don’t panic. Many statements can be explained with proper context, and experienced legal counsel knows how to address problematic admissions.

If an insurance adjuster has contacted you about your accident or is pressuring you for a recorded statement, reach out before agreeing to anything. Understanding what you should and shouldn’t say protects your right to fair compensation and prevents mistakes that reduce your claim’s value.