Talk to a CT Injury Lawyer Before an Insurance Adjuster
Information and guidance from McCoy & McCoy. Contact our team to discuss your circumstances.
- September 24, 2022
- By McCoy & McCoy
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2022 and has been updated to reflect current Connecticut personal injury laws, insurance claim practices, and our attorneys’ latest guidance for accident victims. If you’ve recently been injured in a Connecticut car accident, speaking with an experienced attorney before giving a recorded statement to an insurance company can help protect your rights and your potential claim.
Car accidents are an unfortunate aspect of life – even responsible CT drivers can inadvertently find themselves in terrifying situations. Unfortunately, some local drivers demonstrate negligence every time they take the wheel. When this carelessness results in a crash, it can cause significant complications for all drivers and passengers involved.
Some of the greatest sources of accident-related stress involve determining how to proceed, who to contact, and whether to get in touch with car insurance providers. Below, we delve into these concerns and clarify best practices to employ in the aftermath of a car accident in Connecticut.
What To Do After a Car Accident
How you behave in the aftermath of a car crash could determine what happens as you deal with insurance or move forward with a possible personal injury lawsuit. Above all else, it’s important to remain calm and proceed with caution.
Immediately after a car crash, you must determine whether you or anyone in your vehicle has been injured. Seek medical attention if needed. Not only could this minimize future damage, but your efforts to obtain health care could also provide valuable evidence in the event of difficult legal proceedings.
Next, plan to contact a Connecticut car accident lawyer who can handle the legal complexities of your case. Only contact your insurance company to provide notification of the accident – information regarding the time, date, and location should suffice.
Why Insurance Companies Contact You So Quickly
Many accident victims are surprised by how fast the other driver’s insurance company reaches out. In some cases, an adjuster may call within hours of the crash, while you are still receiving medical treatment or trying to arrange repairs to your vehicle.
Insurance companies move quickly because the earliest days after an accident often provide the greatest opportunity to limit their financial exposure. At this stage, you may not yet understand the full extent of your injuries, know whether you’ll need additional treatment, or realize how much time you’ll miss from work.
Before discussing your injuries or accepting any settlement offer, it’s often wise to understand the full value of your claim. Once certain statements are made—or a settlement is accepted—it can become much more difficult to recover additional compensation later.
Common Questions Insurance Adjusters May Ask
An insurance adjuster may sound friendly, but the questions they ask are designed to evaluate liability and the value of your claim. Some common questions include:
- How are you feeling today?
- Have you ever injured this part of your body before?
- What speed were you traveling?
- Did you see the other vehicle before the collision?
- Have you returned to work?
- Are you receiving medical treatment?
- Can we record your statement?
While many of these questions seem harmless, your responses may later be compared against your medical records, police report, witness statements, or testimony if a lawsuit becomes necessary.
When to Speak to a Lawyer After a Car Accident
Contacting a lawyer should be the first thing you do, before you even contact your insurance company. The insurer’s main objective will be to reduce or eliminate what it has to pay you. Some insurers have even been known to twist your statements to offer a lower settlement or deny your claim.
The sooner you seek help from a trusted CT personal injury attorney, the better. Without proper legal representation, you risk inadvertently incriminating yourself when discussing matters with insurance companies or other parties with a stake in your case.
When in doubt, plan to discuss your situation with a skilled Connecticut personal injury attorney before you get involved with insurance companies. It’s simply too easy for ordinary individuals to make mistakes when discussing accidents with insurance providers. Even a minor misstep could significantly harm your case, especially in a comparative negligence state like Connecticut.
Can You Tell the Insurance Company to Call Your Lawyer Instead?
Absolutely.
Once you’ve hired an attorney, you generally won’t have to handle ongoing conversations with the insurance company yourself. Instead, your lawyer can communicate directly with the adjuster, gather supporting evidence, submit documentation of your damages, negotiate a settlement, and, if necessary, file a lawsuit on your behalf.
For many clients, this not only protects their legal rights but also reduces the stress of dealing with insurance companies while recovering from an injury.
Should I Talk to the Other Person’s Insurance Company After an Accident?
How you handle negotiations with car insurance companies will depend somewhat on the specifics of your case. In general, however, it is rarely wise to communicate directly with the insurance provider covering the other person involved in the accident. This is especially true if you suspect that anyone in the other vehicle sustained severe injuries. It’s far less risky to let your attorney handle negotiations with all insurance companies involved in your case.
How McCoy & McCoy Protects Clients From Insurance Company Tactics
At McCoy & McCoy, one of the first things we do after accepting a case is take over communication with the insurance companies so our clients can focus on healing. Our attorneys investigate the accident, obtain police reports, interview witnesses, collect medical records, consult with experts when necessary, and carefully document every category of damages before negotiating.
Insurance companies handle claims every day. Having an experienced Connecticut personal injury attorney on your side helps ensure your case is presented with the evidence needed to pursue the maximum compensation available under Connecticut law.
Your attorney can play a valuable role in every aspect of your car accident case. Perhaps most importantly, this includes preventing self-incrimination early on. Whether your case involves negotiating with insurance companies or extends into a personal injury claim, you will want the assertive advocacy that only a skilled car accident attorney can provide.
If you were involved in a car accident in Connecticut, you can’t afford to wait for legal representation. The sooner you get in touch with a CT car accident lawyer, the sooner your case can be resolved.
McCoy & McCoy is an excellent resource to have in your corner amid such difficult circumstances. Reach out today to learn more about our approach to car accident cases – and to get a better sense of the many other personal injury services we provide throughout Connecticut.
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