Talking to the insurance adjuster

An adjuster’s call rarely feels like an interrogation. It feels like a friendly check-in. Underneath that tone, though, the call runs off a script, and each question does specific work for the company paying the bill. Here’s what the usual questions are actually for.

“How are you feeling today?”

This sounds like small talk, but the answer often becomes the first entry in your medical record for the file. Say “fine” or “okay” out of habit, and that word can resurface later as evidence you weren’t badly hurt, even if you were still in shock at the time.

“Can you describe the damage to the vehicles?”

An adjuster asks this to size up the crash’s severity before an estimator ever looks at either car. A minor-sounding description here can shape how seriously the whole file gets treated, even though vehicle damage and injury severity don’t always move together.

“Have you had any prior injuries in that same area?”

This question digs for a reason to attribute your current pain to something older than the crash. An honest answer is fine, but volunteering more medical history than asked for gives the file extra material to argue with later.

“Would you mind if we recorded this call?”

You’re allowed to say no to a recorded version of the conversation without ending the call itself. A simple “I’d rather not have this recorded today” keeps the conversation open while keeping your exact wording off tape until you’re ready for that.

What each answer is actually building

None of these questions exist in isolation. Together they build a file the company can point to later, word for word, if your claim’s value ever gets disputed. Keeping answers short and factual, and saving the fuller account for later, protects the same claim these calls are designed to test.

Before that call comes in, the what-to-do guide summarizes the groundwork worth having in place, and the case-worth guide categorizes why an early answer can undercut a number that hasn’t finished forming yet. The car wreck lawyer page primes you for what changes once someone else is handling these calls for you.