When you consult with a College Park car accident lawyer, one of the things they will ask is: have you already met with an insurance adjuster? If the answer is no, this is a good thing. Otherwise, the attorney will need to know all the adjuster questions and how you answered.
The reason for this is that many of these questions are meant to provide the adjuster with information they can use against you. Here are some of these questions that you should not answer before talking to a lawyer:
1. How Do You Think the Accident Happened?
This is a very tricky question, because it invites you to speculate. And any guess which proves to be wrong will be used against you. For example, if you say that maybe the other driver was drunk, but their BAC level is 0, the adjuster will pounce on the speculation.
They will interpret it as a way of hiding your own negligence by hurling false accusations at their client. Let us be clear – the adjuster does not care about the other driver, they care about the company profits.
2. Were You Tired or Upset When You Got in the Car?
You may believe that the adjuster is friendly and caring. On the contrary – they are trying to increase your proportion of fault. Under the comparative negligence principle, you must be less than 50% at fault to be eligible to seek damages.
Even if you have the right to file a claim, the total damages will be reduced by an amount representing your percentage of fault. The adjuster is not interested in your wellbeing, they are just trying to decrease the value of your claim.
3. If It Happened Again, Could You Have Avoided the Accident?
What-if scenarios are not helpful at all, and this is why they often appear in adjuster questions. They want to indicate that you knew that you could have prevented the crash. The fact that you did not will be interpreted as a sign of your own negligence.
The problem with these questions is that, if the insurance company refuses to settle and you have to file a lawsuit, they will be asked again in court. And depending on your conduct in the witness stand, the jury may end up believing the adjuster’s point of view.
4. Would You Sign a Medical Release Form?
When you consult with a College Park car accident lawyer, you will be asked to give them access to your medical records to build your case. The attorney will explain to you in clear and simple terms what it means.
An adjuster will obtain the same thing – access to your medical files – if you sign a medical release form. However, the adjuster will likely not explain to you the role of the document. They will just say that it is standard procedure in the claim process.
Before you get a chance to discuss your case with a lawyer, do not sign anything and do not answer any questions related to prior injuries and health conditions. Adjusters often use the argument of pre-existing conditions to deny or reduce the value of accident claims.
5. Would You Give Me a Recorded Statement?
This is often one of the first adjuster questions you will get. It is the most dangerous one, because everything you say becomes an official record. Once you apply your signature on the document prepared by the adjuster or say yes in an audio recording, your words become a sworn deposition.
This means that the statement can be produced in court as evidence against you. And any correction you make in the future to the statement you gave to the adjuster will be deemed as a lie.
Talk to a College Park Car Accident Lawyer before Meeting with an Adjuster!
At The Weinstein Firm we know exactly how insurance adjusters try to trick you out of your claim. Their questions are meant to confuse you, make you admit fault or contradict yourself.
The best option is to defer answering any adjuster questions until after you discuss your case with an experienced College Park car accident lawyer at our firm.
As a new client, you benefit from a free case review, co call us at 770-HELP-NOW!
