If you have just submitted your first personal injury claim, you may not know what your next step should be. Expect a call from the adjuster. Read on, for suggestions, regarding how to respond to the adjuster’s comments and questions.
What you should do, when you take that call:
• Stay calm and collected. Act like a professional.
• Get the adjuster’s name and contact information. Do not hesitate to offer your name and your contact information.
What you should not do:
Do not share any information about your work, other than the nature of your job and the place where you are employed.
Do not volunteer to provide a statement. Give the adjuster only the basic facts about your accident: Where it took place; when it occurred; the nature of the accident and the number of vehicles involved. You do have to offer some information, regarding what happened. Avoid stating who was to blame for what happened.
Tips for dealing with future calls
That first call represents the start of negotiations. Personal Injury Lawyer in Mississauga know that as negotiations continue, you will have other calls from the adjuster. Understand what you should and should not say during any future call.
If you are asked about your injuries, or those of any passengers, just say that you are still treating any injuries. That means that you have not yet arrived at the stage of maximum medical improvement (MMI). Experienced adjusters should know that a lawyer would refuse to say anything about a client’s injury, until he or she had reached the point of MMI.
The experts ask you that you should do not hesitate to play-up an emotional issue. If the case goes to trial, you will not be able to mention such issues. Make clear the sorts of questions that you are willing to answer. Try to limit the number of questions that you might be asked in the future. Record what you have said, so that you have a reason for refusing to answer those questions that you have said you would not answer. Record what the other caller says, as well. What facts did you learn from the caller? What facts did you share with the caller?
Keep track of what statement were made, and when they were made. Record the date when you presented an instruction, such as asking for no further questions about your injuries, because each injury was still being treated. That information can be used to refute a false accusation. For instance, at some point the adjuster might claim that you had said that your injury had healed. You can look back and find the date when you warned about not asking about any injury’s progress towards a state of recovery. In that way, you could refute the adjuster’s claim.
