Should I Talk To the Insurance Adjuster?

In most cases, talking to the insurance adjuster for the responsible party is not in your best interests. No matter how nice the insurance adjuster seems to be, they are not your advocate.

Remember, insurance companies make money by collecting and investing insurance premiums, not by paying out settlements! Therefore, it is generally in their best interests to reduce the amounts paid to injured people like you.

Of course, you can talk to your own insurance adjuster from your own insurance company. They are generally there to help you, and they owe you a fiduciary duty and a measure of loyalty because you are their customer. Your premiums pay their salaries. You can usually talk to your own company without much concern.

However, be careful what you say to any insurance company. For example, if you tell your insurance company that you are "fine" and later find out the other party did not have insurance, you might need to approach your own company pursuant to potential Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage. However, if you told your company you were not hurt, your UM claims won't go very far.

The best thing to do is to contact an experienced lawyer who can really explain to you what to expect. It certainly can't hurt since most personal injury lawyers offer a free consultation.