Within days of a crash, an adjuster for the other driver's insurance company often calls and sounds friendly. Their job is to settle for as little as possible, and what you say on that call can be used to do it.
Updated November 2026
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The adjuster is not on your side. Their company may owe you money, and what you tell them becomes part of the file used to decide how much.
You can give basic facts such as your name and that the accident happened. You are generally not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer, and you do not have to discuss your injuries, your treatment, or who was at fault.
Offhand answers such as “I'm fine” or “it was just a little fender bender” can be quoted back to argue your injury is minor. Many injuries do not show their full effect for days or weeks.
A quick offer is usually made before anyone knows what treatment you will need. A signed release ends the claim, even if more care is needed later.
Adjusters often ask you to sign a broad medical authorization. That can give them years of records they use to argue a pre-existing condition. Ask a lawyer before signing.
You generally do have to report the accident to your own insurer and cooperate with it. Read your policy and keep what you say factual and short.
In a case from a different kind of accident, a national retailer offered $125,000 after an unguarded pallet fractured our client's femur. A previous firm had declined the case.
The case settled for $2.5 million. The injury did not change between the offer and the outcome. What changed was how much of the case had been built.
Past results do not guarantee a future outcome, and every case depends on its own facts. These are public-record results in serious injury cases.
A national grocery retailer offered $125,000 for an unguarded pallet that fractured our client's femur. A previous firm had declined the case. Read full story →
A red light runner. Multiple disc replacements, a lower back fusion, and blood clots. A St. Louis County jury returned $10,000,000. Read full story →
Rear-ended on I-270 and left needing a cervical disc replacement. Built on a life care plan documenting his future medical needs. Read full story →
You can say you are not ready to discuss the accident.
You are generally not required to give one to the other driver's insurer.
Both can be used against you, and a release ends the claim.
Say you will respond in writing after you have had advice.
Once a lawyer is involved, the insurer deals with the lawyer instead.
Generally no. You may be required to cooperate with your own insurer, but you usually have no duty to give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer. It is safer to decline until you have spoken to a lawyer.
Give your name and contact information, say you are not ready to discuss the accident, and say you will be in touch. Do not describe your injuries, speculate about fault, or say that you are fine.
Usually not. The first offer is typically made before the full cost of your injury is known, and a signed release ends the claim even if more treatment turns out to be needed.
You are generally not required to give the other driver's insurer broad access to your medical history. A narrow authorization limited to the accident may be appropriate, and a lawyer can advise on it.
Usually yes. Most policies require prompt notice and cooperation. Keep what you say to your insurer factual and short, and read your policy before giving a recorded statement.
The insurance company deals with your lawyer instead of you. That stops the daily calls and keeps you from saying something that can be used against you. The case review at Finney Injury Law is free.
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