Three Things You Should Never Tell Your Insurance Company

Your insurance agent may be a friendly individual and perhaps even someone with whom you socialize on occasion. But no matter how friendly or sociable your agent is, the insurance company he or she represents can be your worst enemy following a personal injury or automobile accident. Despite popular slogans and advertisements, insurance companies will routinely attempt to settle a claim for as little money as possible. After all, it is the way they make money.
Shortly after you have been involved in an accident and filed a claim with your insurance company, your insurance company will contact you and attempt to speak with you about your claim and the underlying accident. It is easy to misjudge how important this meeting (whether it occurs in person or over the telephone) actually is. Your own words can reduce the amount you receive for your claim or even cause your claim to be denied. Therefore, consider these insurance company tips, and understand that it is important that you avoid telling your insurance company these things:

1) “I think what happened was . . .” or “I’m not sure . . .”: Refuse any invitation to guess or estimate as to th

e facts of the case. Unless you are certain what your speed was before the crash or what color the traffic light was, simply reply that you do not know the answer. Prefacing your comments with “I guess” or “I think” does not prevent the insurance adjuster from using these statements against you.

2) “It was all my fault . . .”: It is tempting to admit fault or to apologize after an accident – especially if you really were at fault. Resist this temptation and do not admit fault to anyone – the other driver, the investigating police officer, or an insurance adjuster. Not only will such a statement be used against you by the insurance adjuster, you likely do not know if the other individual was also to blame for the accident in some way.

3) “I wasn’t hurt . . .”: You may not know the true extent of your injuries for days – or weeks – after an accident. You may have sustained serious internal injuries in an accident that simply have not manifested themselves. Do not tell your adjustor that you did not suffer any injuries until several days (or longer) have passed and you have had the opportunity to be evaluated by a medical professional. If you do tell your insurance adjuster that you have not been injured and injuries are later discovered, you may find it is very difficult to obtain compensation for these injuries.

Remember, if you have been injured in a personal injury incident, contact an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible. They will help you in recovering the compensation you need for your injuries. They are also experienced with dealing with your insurance company so that your claim is not jeopardized.