How to Deal With an Insurance Company After an Accident

How to Deal With an Insurance Company After an Accident. After being injured in an accident, the at-fault
party’s insurance company is required to compensate you for your damages. But too often an insurance company’s main
goal is paying out as little as possible instead of doing the right thing and giving you the financial recovery you
deserve. At Burger Law, our personal injury lawyers have
spent the last 30 years standing up to bullies like resistant insurance companies. We know how to fight back and get
great resolutions for our clients. If you’ve been injured in the St. Louis or Chicago areas, or anywhere in Missouri
or Illinois, call us today at or contact us online for a free case
review and to find out if the insurance company is being fair. Read on to see how to deal with an insurance company
after an accident.

If you were injured because somebody else broke the rules, see how much your claim may be worth by using our free personal injury calculator.

The DOs and DON’Ts of Dealing With an Insurance Company After an Accident

Insurance companies use a lot of tricks to try and avoid paying out claims, and it’s important to know how to combat them for the
best possible results in your case. Below is what you should — and should not — do when dealing with an
insurance company after an accident.

DO Keep a Complete File of All Your Records Related to the Accident

An insurance adjuster is not going to compensate you for something you can’t prove. You need evidence, such as police reports
finding the other driver at fault, pictures of the crash site, medical records to prove your injuries and the extent
of your treatment and W2s to show your wage loss damages. You can also keep a daily journal detailing how your
injuries have affected you mentally, emotionally and physically.

DON’T give a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company

You’ll likely get a call from a friendly-sounding insurance adjuster who tells you that, as a normal part of the
claims process, they need to ask you a few questions and take a recorded statement. There is no law in Missouri and
Illinois that requires you to do any such thing. The statement may later be used against you to assign you partial
or full fault or minimize your injuries. In some cases, the true severity of an injury is only seen in the days or
weeks after the accident, and giving an account of your injuries one or two days afterward is not an accurate
description.

DO Get All of the Medical Treatment You Need

If you’re missing work and insurance doesn’t cover certain aspects of your treatment, it may be tempting to hold off
on completing the treatment you need to reach your maximum medical recovery. But you will be reimbursed
for that in the future. Getting your full medical treatment not only helps you reach a full recovery faster, but
will result in a higher financial compensation when calculating for pain and suffering.

DON’T Sign a Blanket Medical Authorization

The insurance adjuster may tell you they need your full medical records to evaluate your claim; that is not true.
While they will need to review medical reports, they are only entitled to those directly related to the accident
you’re filing a claim for. If they see your full medical records, they may try to say your injuries are preexisting.

DO Stay Off Social Media

Many of us have gotten used to sharing certain events in our lives with family and friends on social media. While it
can be tempting to post after getting injured, it’s best not to use say anything about the accident, your injuries,
events in your life or what you expect to do with your settlement money. If you post pictures of you bowling after
claiming a severe ankle injury, or mention how you can’t wait to get a new computer, your motivations and the
veracity of your claim to the insurance company could be questioned.

DON’T Accept the First Settlement Offer

This is an infuriating but, unfortunately, standard part of the claims process. The adjuster will tell you that after
their review of the facts they only can offer so much. Their initial offer will be lower — most likely
substantially lower — than what you are owed. While it can be tempting to take the offer if you need money
quickly, taking their first offer likely means leaving thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of dollars
on the table.

DO Speak to an Attorney

Often, an insurance adjuster’s best weapon is simply the knowledge and experience they have with the claims process.
If you’ve never had to file an injury claim before, or are finding this experience more difficult than the last,
always reach out to a personal injury attorney to see whether or not a settlement offer is fair or not. At Burger
Law, we answer questions and offer case reviews for free every day. You deserve the full financial recovery you are
rightfully owed, and a powerful insurance company or dishonest insurance adjuster has no right to keep it from you.
Call us today at to find out if an attorney can help your case, or read our FAQ about when to hire a personal injury lawyer.

Missouri and Illinois Personal Injury Attorneys | Burger Law

You deserve full compensation for your injuries, and it’s not up to the insurance company to decide how much that is;
it’s deterrmined by the extent of the injuries and the facts of your case. If an insurance company is being unjust,
lying to you or trying to delay settling your claim, trust in the personal injury law firm of Burger Law to take up
your case and fight back against them to secure you the recovery you deserve. Call a Missouri and Illinois personal
injury lawyer today at or fill out our online form for a free
consultation.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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