Should I provide all of my medical records to an insurance adjuster after a truck accident?

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If you have been injured in a serious Washington semi-truck accident, you will eventually have to speak to an insurance adjuster. While insurance adjusters are hardworking professionals who may have genuine sympathy for your circumstances, they are nonetheless trained negotiators who represent the interests of their employers. If you try to speak to an adjuster without an attorney, they could pressure you into signing away your medical records and your rights.

Why Insurance Adjusters Ask to See Medical Records

When private automobiles and semi-trucks collide, the consequences are often catastrophic for the occupants of the smaller vehicle. Since semi-truck-related accidents always have the potential to cause debilitating injuries, trucking companies are required to purchase and carry high-limit liability insurance. If you or a loved one has been injured in a semi-truck crash, you will most likely have to pursue compensation through the insurance company.

Once the insurance company has been informed of the accident, they may dispatch an adjuster to investigate the crash and collect information related to your injuries. Adjusters typically need access to your medical records to assess your injuries and calculate the case’s value. However, the adjuster should only be allowed to see the records relating to your semi-truck accident—not your entire health history.

Insurance Adjusters Use Pressure Tactics to Get Extra Information

The adjuster will almost certainly need access to your accident-related records. However, they might try to ask you for additional information—information they do not need and to which they are not legally entitled. When you initiate a claim, the adjuster might ask you to:

  • Recount your memories of the accident
  • Provide a recorded statement
  • Visit a physician of their choosing for a medical examination
  • Sign a medical records release

The adjuster might say that compliance is the best way forward—and that if you do not follow the insurance company’s commands, you may receive a delayed settlement.

Adjusters Can Use Your Words Against You

Insurance adjusters do not ask for this additional information because they want to help you. Adjusters are beholden to their employer, the insurance company. And the insurance company, like most businesses, is a for-profit enterprise; its main objective is to protect its profit margins. Insurance companies have many strategies for protecting their profits. Unfortunately, these strategies often come at semi-truck accident victims’ expense. They might:

  • Use your own words against you. If the adjuster asks you to provide a recorded statement, they are effectively on a fishing expedition—hoping that you will provide too much information, which could be used to downgrade the trucking company’s liability.
  • Use your health history to devalue your claim. While the insurance adjuster needs to understand your accident-related injuries, they should never be afforded unbridled access to your health history. One of the insurance industry’s favorite tricks is attributing injuries their clients caused to pre-existing medical conditions. If the adjuster is allowed to peruse your records, they could find a way to blame your truck accident injuries on something else.
  • Use your circumstances to push a premature settlement. Even if you have good health insurance, a serious semi-truck accident could push you to the brink of financial ruin. You might find yourself responsible for the costs of an ambulance ride, as well as expensive deductibles and co-pays. The adjuster might offer you a fast and easy settlement to help ease your worry—a settlement accounts for your immediate needs but does not include the money you need to replace lost income, pay for physical rehabilitation, or compensate for your emotional pain and suffering.

A Washington Semi-Truck Attorney Could Safeguard Your Rights

If you have been injured in a serious Washington semi-truck accident, you may be only months, weeks, or days from financial ruin. Max Meyers Law believes that nobody should have to bear the financial burden of another person’s bad mistake. You should not be forced to wade through the insurance company’s red tape just to secure a fair settlement. We can help you stand up to the adjuster, protect your rights, and fight for the best possible recovery. Please send Max Meyers Law a message online or call us at 425-399-7000 to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.