How Should I Handle Calls from the Insurance Company After a PA Car Accident?

Handling Insurance Company Calls After a Pennsylvania Car Accident

After a car accident in Pennsylvania, you can expect to receive calls from insurance adjusters — possibly from your own insurer, the other driver’s insurer, or both. How you handle these calls can significantly affect the outcome of your claim. The key is to understand what adjusters are trying to accomplish, what your obligations are, and where the lines are between helpful cooperation and potentially harmful disclosure.

Calls from Your Own Insurance Company

Your own insurer has a legitimate need to know about the accident. Most policies require you to cooperate with the investigation as a condition of coverage. When speaking with your own adjuster, you should:

• Report the accident promptly and provide basic factual details
• Confirm your injuries and that you are receiving medical care
• Be factual and honest — but avoid speculation about fault or the extent of your injuries before treatment is complete
• Decline to give a recorded statement without consulting an attorney first

Calls from the Other Driver’s Insurance Company

The other driver’s insurer is not your insurer. Their adjuster’s job is to resolve the claim for as little money as possible. You have no legal obligation to give them a recorded statement, and in most cases, doing so before you’ve retained an attorney is inadvisable. Statements made in the days after an accident — when you may not yet know the full extent of your injuries, and when you may be disoriented or in pain — can be used to minimize your claim.

You can simply tell the adverse adjuster: “I’ve been injured and I’m in the process of retaining an attorney. Please direct any further communication to my attorney.”

What Adjusters Are Listening For

Experienced adjusters listen carefully for admissions of fault, minimization of injuries (“I’m okay, just a little sore”), and statements suggesting delay in treatment. Any of these can be used to reduce the value of your claim or deny it entirely. Even well-intentioned politeness — “I’m doing better, thanks” — can be taken out of context.

The Erie car accident attorneys at Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C. handle all communications with insurance companies on behalf of their clients, ensuring nothing is said that can be used against them. Contact us for a free consultation before your next call with an adjuster.