How should I deal with the insurance adjuster after a crash?

Two adjusters, two completely different relationships

After a crash you will likely hear from two insurance companies, and conflating them is the original mistake. Your own carrier is your contractual partner: your policy requires prompt notice and reasonable cooperation, and talking to it protects benefits you paid for, PIP, MedPay, uninsured motorist coverage, though even that conversation deserves preparation. The at-fault driver's carrier is your legal adversary. Its adjuster owes duties to its insured and its shareholders, not to you, and nothing requires you to give it statements, recordings, opinions, or access. The warmth in that adjuster's voice is real in the way a salesperson's warmth is real.

The paper traps

Two documents do most of the damage in early claims. The first is the blanket medical authorization, presented as routine paperwork so the adjuster can pay your bills; what it actually grants is a fishing license through your lifetime medical history, hunting for anything to blame your injuries on. Records relevant to the claim can be provided in a controlled way; a blanket authorization should never be signed. The second is the quick check with a release attached, or with release language on the back of the check itself. Cashing it can extinguish the entire claim. Read everything, sign nothing without review, and treat urgency in the adjuster's voice as information about their position, not yours.

What to actually say and do

Be courteous and factual. Confirm identities, the date and location of the crash, the vehicles, and your claim number. Decline recorded statements and discussions of fault or injuries; the words are simply, I am not giving a statement, my attorney will be in touch. Then build the written record: confirm phone conversations by email, keep every letter, log every call with date and name. Adjusters behave measurably better when they can see a file being built, because they are graded on files, and a documented claimant reads like a represented one even before representation begins.

When to hand off the phone entirely

The moment real injuries, disputed fault, or meaningful money enters the claim, the calls should route through counsel, and every legitimate adjuster expects it. Representation does not make you adversarial; it makes the negotiation symmetrical. From that point you focus on medical recovery, and the carrier deals with someone who processes claims for a living too, on your side of the table. Silver Key Law takes over those communications the day it takes a case, and the change in the carrier's tone is usually audible.

Injured in Arizona? Some rules on this page are Texas-specific. Arizona differs on points that change outcomes, including pure comparative fault and government-claim deadlines. See our Arizona answers or call (888) 508-6967.

Related: Recorded Statements · Should I Accept the First Offer? · Submit Your Case · All Common Questions

This page is general information about Texas law, not legal advice about your specific situation. Deadlines and outcomes depend on facts; talk to a lawyer about yours.