Location: (CA, United States) – Car Accident Insurance Claim
1) This is my 1st Car Accident, so this whole Insurance process is all new to me! After my car accident, I naturally filed a Claim with my Car Insurance. Next, my Car Insurance Adjuster called me to record a Verbal Statement, in which I mentioned that after the accident, (paraphrased) "I might have over-apologized, but that's just a bad habit and I don't mean any of it." – I think that sentence is where I went wrong, b/c immediately after that sentence, the Adjuster sighed and then told me that I would be assigned to a Different Adjuster.
After Googling, I realized that I should have mentioned Apologizing (b/c Car Insurance companies can misinterpret it as "Guilt" and use that sentence to Minimize your Claim) even it's just my bad habit of being overly polite.
2) I also mistakenly already said that "I have no injuries" which I later Googled and found out I'm not supposed to do.
3) The other driver seems to be exaggerating injuries to maximize his Insurance Claim Settlement. At the accident, he went from screaming profanities and running around (no physical injury, looks fine) to later claiming he had a headache.
Again, this is my 1st Car Accident, so this whole Insurance process is all new to me! There are so many Word Phrases that I'm not supposed to say and that I'm just learning! (Unrelated, but I already have a lot on my plate from being out-of-breath due to health issues, cortisol face, and high stress from other life events), and of course, stress from navigating the post-car-accident Insurance Process!
Q3) The other driver seems to be exaggerating injuries to maximize his Insurance Claim Settlement. What else can I do to protect myself?
Q1 and Q2) After mistakenly saying that 1) "I over-apologized" and 2) "I have no injuries" in my Verbal Stmt, from this point on, what should I do to Maximize my Car Insurance Claim?
Accidentally 1) Said I Over-Apologized & 2) Said I Have No Injuries in Verbal Statement to My Car Insurance Adjuster. What should I do moving forward? (CA, United States)
byu/Starlink87 inInsurance
Posted by Starlink87
1 Comment
Most of this may not make any sort of difference. If you aren’t injured, you were not injured. So that’s what you say.
Adjusters are going to make a decision based on the facts of loss not just because somebody apologized at the scene.
I wouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet you’re getting worked up over nothing just to let your insurance do their investigation.