Should I Speak to an Insurance Adjuster?

The first thing you should do after a slip and fall injury in Utah is report it to whoever owns the property. Once this has been done, you’re on the path to compensation, right? At the same time, the property owner will be reporting the injury to their insurance company, who will then try to pin the blame on you. At this point, you might be asking: should I speak to an insurance adjuster?

Should I Speak to an Insurance Adjuster? | What to Expect

If you’ve been seriously injured in a slip and fall in the state of Utah, oftentimes, early in the process, the insurance carrier will want to come in and talk with you and get a written or recorded statement. People often think that providing this information and answering their questions is going to help their claim move along quicker and resolve for fair value. What we have found is just the opposite. When people open up to the attorneys of the company itself, the way that their questions are crafted, the answers are later used against the injured individual.

We recommend that you do not talk with the company, insurance carrier or attorneys of the company, but, instead, come in and seek out your own attorney who can help protect you from some of the questions that they’re going to ask you early on.

Should I Speak to an Insurance Adjuster? | Questions They Will Ask

The insurance adjuster will work off a script that asks basic questions such as your name, date of birth, and where and when the accident took place. It sounds harmless, but many of the questions are designed to backfire on you. Things like “Was there anything you could have done to avoid the accident?” or “What type of injuries did you sustain?” or even “What happened?” can all illicit responses that pin the blame on you. Insurance companies are a business; they’d be far happier paying you absolutely nothing than offering a substantial settlement.

This is why we recommend never speaking to an insurance adjuster without consulting first with your attorney. If you receive a call, simply tell them that all communications can be directed to your attorney. We’ll take care of the rest.

If you have any questions, please contact our experienced Utah slip and fall lawyers today to arrange a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Author: Swenson & Shelley PLLC

Kevin Swenson was raised in Bountiful, Utah, and is a co-founding partner of Swenson & Shelley. After graduating from Bountiful High School, Kevin attended business school at Westminster College.