Dealing with Insurance Companies after an accident and personal injury

What should you do if the at-fault driver’s insurance company calls you after you’ve been involved in a car accident?

If you already have an attorney, and the other driver’s insurance company calls, simply give the insurer your attorney’s name and phone number and hang up, period. You have no obligation to talk to the other driver’s insurance company at all. 

If you do not yet have an attorney, tell the other driver’s insurance company to send you their questions in writing, and hang up. Then contact an experienced injury attorney right away to learn how they can help you. If the other driver’s insurance company asks you to sign any documents, you should also contact a personal injury attorney for advice before signing.

Remember, the at-fault driver’s insurance company is not on your side and is not there to help you. The insurance company’s agents are trained to act friendly toward you. They may say they are only calling to find out what happened or to hear the story “in your words,” but they are calling for one reason, and one reason only: to get information from you to reduce the amount they pay out to you.

Even answering what seems to be the simplest of questions may give the insurance company ammunition to use against your case. So avoid speaking with the other driver’s insurer. And never agree to let them record any part of your conversation.

Did you know that insurance companies may actively investigate you and your personal life if you have filed a significant claim?