Dealing With Insurance Companies After an Accident

Within a day or two of an accident, your phone will probably ring. The adjuster on the other end may sound friendly and helpful. But it’s important to remember who they work for and what their job is: to resolve the claim for as little as their company can.

Knowing how insurers operate, and what you’re required to do, helps you avoid the mistakes that most often shrink an injury claim.

Your Insurer vs. the Other Driver’s Insurer

You may deal with two different companies, and your obligations to each are different.

• Your own insurer. Your policy likely requires you to report the accident promptly and cooperate with the company’s investigation. You may need to use your own coverage for medical payments, collision damage, or uninsured motorist benefits.
• The at-fault driver’s insurer. You have no contract with this company and no duty to help it build a case against you. Its adjuster’s goal is to limit what it pays you.

Be Careful With Recorded Statements

The other driver’s adjuster will often ask to record your account of the accident. You are not required to agree. These statements are used to lock in details before you know the full extent of your injuries, and small inconsistencies can later be used to question your credibility.

If you do speak with an adjuster, keep it brief. Confirm basic facts like your name and the date and location of the crash, but don’t discuss fault, guess about speeds, or describe your injuries as “fine” or “not bad.”

Don’t Sign Broad Medical Authorizations

Adjusters may send forms asking for permission to collect your medical records. Some are written broadly enough to reach years of unrelated history, which insurers search for pre-existing conditions to blame. Only records related to the accident should be shared, and a lawyer can provide them in an organized way.

Common Tactics Insurers Use

Watch for these strategies:

• Quick, low settlement offers made before you know how serious your injuries are
• Delays meant to pressure you into accepting less
• Disputing your treatment as unnecessary or too expensive
• Blaming you, which matters because Georgia’s comparative fault rule bars recovery at 50% fault
• Checking social media for photos that seem to contradict your injuries
• Raising seatbelt use, which Georgia’s 2025 tort reform now allows for injuries on or after April 21, 2025

Understanding the Coverage Available in Georgia

The amount of insurance available often determines what you can realistically recover. Key types include:

• Liability coverage. According to the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance, drivers must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury coverage. A serious injury can easily exceed those limits.
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. This part of your own policy can pay when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough. Georgia policies may carry “add-on” coverage, which stacks on top of the other driver’s limits, or “reduced-by” coverage, which does not. These rules come up often in uninsured and underinsured motorist claims.
• Medical payments coverage. Optional MedPay can help with medical bills regardless of fault.
• Commercial coverage. Trucking companies operating across state lines typically carry far higher limits than individual drivers, which makes truck accident claims very different from ordinary crash cases.
• Rideshare coverage. Uber and Lyft policies change depending on whether the driver was logged in, waiting for a ride, or carrying a passenger, a key issue in rideshare accident claims.

Settlement Demands and Releases

Most claims resolve through a written demand and negotiation. In motor vehicle cases, Georgia has specific rules for pre-suit settlement offers, and both sides have to follow them carefully.

Before you accept any settlement, remember that a signed release almost always ends your claim for good. If you later need surgery or more therapy, you can’t go back for more. That’s why it’s usually wise to wait until your doctors have a clear picture of your recovery. Our guide to how long a personal injury case takes in Savannah explains how that timing works.

When an Insurer Acts Unfairly

If an insurer unreasonably delays, refuses to communicate, or mishandles your claim, you can file a complaint with the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, which regulates insurance companies operating in the state. A complaint won’t decide the value of your injury claim, but it can prompt the company to respond.

In many cases, the most effective step is having a lawyer take over communication. A car accident lawyer handles adjusters every day and knows when an offer doesn’t reflect the value of a claim. Our guide on when to hire a personal injury lawyer can help you decide.

Talk to a Savannah Personal Injury Lawyer

Founding attorney Benjamin Clary has spent 13 years standing between injured Georgians and the insurance companies trying to pay them as little as possible. He holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating and handles every case on a contingency fee basis.

We handle insurance disputes for clients across coastal Georgia, including car accident claims in Rincon. If an adjuster is pressuring you, a personal injury lawyer at our firm can review your situation for free.

Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.

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