After an accident, an insurance adjuster may sound friendly, concerned, and eager to help. The adjuster may ask how you are feeling, request a recorded statement, and promise to process the claim as quickly as possible.
It is important to remember that the insurance company is not a neutral participant. An adjuster working for the person who caused your injury primarily represents that insurer and its policyholder—not you. The Utah Insurance Department specifically distinguishes third-party claims from claims under your own policy and explains that, in a third-party claim, you do not have a direct contract with the insurer.
Insurance companies have a financial incentive to resolve injury claims for as little as reasonably possible. They may closely examine your statements, medical history, treatment, employment records, social media activity, and conduct after the accident.
Some insurance practices are part of a legitimate investigation. Others can create confusion, delay payment, shift blame, or pressure an injured person into accepting less compensation than the case may be worth.
Steele Adams Hosman helps injured Utah residents understand the claims process, avoid damaging mistakes, and pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain, impairment, and future needs.
Why Should You Be Careful When Speaking With an Insurance Adjuster?
Insurance adjusters handle claims regularly. Most injured people do not.
This creates an information imbalance. The adjuster understands the company’s procedures, knows what questions to ask, and may already have access to legal guidance. The injured person may be dealing with pain, missed work, vehicle damage, medical appointments, and financial stress.
An adjuster may appear conversational while gathering information that could later be used to:
- Dispute how the accident happened
- Assign part of the fault to you
- Question whether the accident caused your injuries
- Minimize the severity of your symptoms
- Argue that treatment was unnecessary
- Challenge your lost-income claim
- Support a low settlement offer
- Deny the claim entirely
You should remain polite and truthful, but you do not need to guess, speculate, or accept the adjuster’s interpretation of the facts.
Steele Adams Hosman can take over communications with opposing insurers so your words are less likely to be misunderstood or taken out of context.
Tactic One: Requesting a Recorded Statement Immediately
One of the first things an adjuster may request is a recorded statement.
The adjuster may describe the statement as routine or suggest that the claim cannot move forward without it. Before agreeing, determine whether the request comes from your own insurer or the other party’s carrier.
Your own insurance policy may require reasonable cooperation. The duties owed to an opposing insurer are different because you generally do not have a direct contract with that company.
A recorded statement can create problems when:
- You do not yet know the full extent of your injuries
- Medication affects your concentration
- You have not reviewed the accident report
- The adjuster asks confusing or leading questions
- You estimate speeds, distances, or timing
- You unintentionally omit a symptom
- You say you are “fine” before delayed symptoms develop
- You agree with an inaccurate summary
Suppose an adjuster calls the morning after a collision on I-15. You say your neck is sore but otherwise you feel okay. Two days later, you develop severe back pain and numbness in one arm.
The insurer may later emphasize the original statement and argue that the newer symptoms are unrelated. That argument may be medically inaccurate, but your early recorded statement gives the insurer something to use.
Do not lie or intentionally conceal information. Instead, speak with Steele Adams Hosman before agreeing to a recorded interview.
Before you give the opposing insurance company a recorded statement, contact Steele Adams Hosman for a free consultation. One rushed conversation can affect the way your entire claim is evaluated.
Tactic Two: Asking You to Admit Partial Fault
Utah follows a comparative fault system. Your compensation may be reduced if evidence shows that your conduct contributed to the injury.
Utah law permits fault to be allocated among the injured person, defendants, certain immune parties, and properly identified nonparties. An injured person may recover only when the opposing fault considered under the statute exceeds the injured person’s own fault.
Because fault percentages matter, adjusters may ask questions designed to obtain small admissions, such as:
- Were you in a hurry?
- Were you looking at your navigation system?
- Could you have stopped sooner?
- Did you see the other driver before impact?
- Were you distracted by a passenger?
- Were you walking quickly?
- Did you notice the wet floor?
- Could you have used another entrance?
A seemingly minor admission may later support an argument that you were 10%, 20%, or even 50% responsible.
You should provide accurate facts, but avoid agreeing with conclusions you cannot independently verify. Saying “I did not see the vehicle until impact” is not necessarily the same as admitting that you were distracted.
Steele Adams Hosman can examine photographs, video, witness accounts, vehicle data, road conditions, and other evidence before fault is discussed.
Tactic Three: Offering a Quick Settlement Before You Know the Full Damage
An insurance company may offer money soon after an accident, particularly when its policyholder’s responsibility appears clear.
A quick offer can be tempting. Medical bills may already be arriving, your vehicle may be unusable, and you may be missing work.
The problem is that early settlements are often proposed before anyone knows:
- Whether you will need surgery
- How long physical therapy will continue
- Whether you can return to your previous job
- Whether symptoms will become chronic
- Whether additional injuries will be diagnosed
- How much future medical care will cost
- Whether you have permanent impairment
- Whether another insurance policy applies
A settlement normally requires you to sign a release. Once the claim is released, you generally cannot return to the insurer months later and demand more money because your condition worsened.
For example, an accident victim may initially be diagnosed with a neck strain. Later imaging could reveal a disc injury requiring injections or surgery. A settlement accepted during the first week may not account for those future expenses.
Steele Adams Hosman evaluates the likely course of treatment, medical evidence, employment consequences, insurance coverage, and long-term needs before advising whether an offer is reasonable.
Tactic Four: Delaying the Investigation
Some claims take time because liability is genuinely disputed or medical treatment is ongoing. However, repeated delays can place financial pressure on an injured person.
An insurer may:
- Reassign the claim to different adjusters
- Request documents it already received
- Fail to return calls
- Say the investigation is still pending
- Wait for additional medical records without identifying which records
- Repeatedly ask for extensions
- Delay evaluating a complete settlement demand
- Blame another insurer or responsible party
Utah law prohibits insurers and their representatives from engaging in unfair claim settlement practices. Utah’s claim-practices statutes are intended to encourage fair and timely handling and protect claimants from unfair adjustment conduct.
Not every delay is unlawful. A complex truck accident involving several parties may require a lengthy investigation. The concern is whether the insurer is using delay without a reasonable basis to wear down the claimant or create deadline problems.
Keep written records of:
- The date each document was submitted
- The name of each adjuster
- Telephone calls and messages
- Requests for additional information
- Explanations given for delays
- Settlement offers and denials
Steele Adams Hosman can press for clear answers, document unreasonable handling, and file litigation when negotiation no longer appears productive.
Tactic Five: Requesting an Overly Broad Medical Authorization
An adjuster may ask you to sign a medical authorization allowing the insurer to collect records directly from healthcare providers.
Some access to medical information may be necessary to evaluate an injury claim. However, a broad authorization may allow the insurer to search years of unrelated records for:
- Prior neck or back pain
- Old sports injuries
- Mental health treatment
- Unrelated medical conditions
- Prescription history
- Previous accidents
- Statements that can be taken out of context
A prior medical condition does not automatically defeat a personal injury claim. An accident may aggravate, accelerate, or worsen an existing condition.
For example, a person may have occasionally experienced mild lower-back discomfort before a rear-end collision on State Street. After the crash, the person may develop severe radiating pain and become unable to perform physical work.
The relevant question is not simply whether any back complaint existed before the crash. The question is how the person’s condition and functioning changed because of the accident.
Steele Adams Hosman can obtain relevant records, review them, and provide appropriate documentation without necessarily giving the opposing insurer unrestricted access to unrelated medical history.
Tactic Six: Blaming Your Injuries on a Preexisting Condition
Insurance companies frequently search for previous injuries or medical conditions.
The insurer may argue that your current symptoms resulted from:
- Aging
- Arthritis
- Degenerative changes
- A prior car accident
- A workplace injury
- Sports activity
- Previous surgery
- An unrelated medical condition
A preexisting condition may affect the medical analysis, but it does not necessarily eliminate compensation.
Some people are more vulnerable to injury than others. A negligent driver generally must take an injured person as that person existed at the time of the accident. The claim may focus on the aggravation or worsening caused by the new incident.
Useful evidence can include:
- Medical records from before and after the accident
- Testimony about your prior level of functioning
- Employment history
- Exercise and activity records
- Imaging comparisons
- Opinions from treating providers
- Statements from family members or coworkers
Do not hide prior injuries. An undisclosed condition that appears later can hurt your credibility. Accurate disclosure allows Steele Adams Hosman to explain the difference between your previous condition and your post-accident limitations.
A prior injury does not give an insurance company permission to ignore new harm. Let Steele Adams Hosman document what changed and how the accident affected your health and daily life.
Tactic Seven: Claiming the Accident Was Too Minor to Cause Injury
When vehicle damage appears limited, an insurer may call the event a “minor impact” and argue that no serious injury could have occurred.
This argument often appears in soft tissue, whiplash, concussion, and back-injury claims.
Vehicle repair costs do not provide a complete medical analysis. Injury risk may depend on:
- Crash direction
- Occupant position
- Seat and head-restraint position
- Differences in vehicle size
- Whether the person was bracing
- Prior health conditions
- The speed and force transfer
- Secondary impacts
- Whether the vehicle rotated
The appropriate evidence may include medical records, accident reconstruction, vehicle photographs, electronic data, and testimony about symptoms and function.
Do not allow an adjuster’s description of the collision to replace a healthcare provider’s evaluation.
Tactic Eight: Using Gaps in Medical Treatment Against You
Insurance companies often examine whether an injured person received consistent care.
They may argue that a treatment gap proves:
- The person recovered
- The injury was not serious
- The person failed to reduce the damages
- Another event caused later symptoms
- Recommended care was unnecessary
There are many legitimate reasons for a gap, including:
- Inability to afford care
- Lack of health insurance
- Transportation problems
- Work or childcare responsibilities
- Delays obtaining specialist appointments
- The mistaken belief that symptoms would resolve
- A provider’s instruction to return only if symptoms worsened
When possible, follow medical recommendations and attend scheduled appointments. If something prevents treatment, document the reason and tell your healthcare provider.
Do not continue treatment solely to increase the value of a claim. Medical care should be appropriate and necessary. At the same time, do not stop needed treatment because an adjuster suggests that you should already be better.
Tactic Nine: Monitoring Your Social Media Accounts
Insurance companies and defense lawyers may review public social media posts.
They may look for:
- Vacation photographs
- Exercise videos
- Posts about work
- Comments about the accident
- Photographs from social events
- Statements about feeling better
- Check-ins at recreational locations
- Posts that contradict claimed limitations
A single photograph rarely shows how a person felt before or after the image was taken. Someone with chronic pain may smile at a family event. A person with a shoulder injury may briefly lift an object and suffer increased pain afterward.
Even so, social media content can be presented without context.
Protect your claim by:
- Avoiding public discussions of the accident
- Reviewing privacy settings
- Asking friends not to tag you without permission
- Avoiding exaggerated statements about your condition
- Preserving existing relevant posts rather than deleting evidence
- Discussing questionable content with Steele Adams Hosman
Deleting material after receiving a preservation obligation can create additional legal problems. Obtain advice before removing posts connected to the accident or your physical activities.
Tactic Ten: Conducting Physical Surveillance
In larger injury claims, an insurer may hire an investigator to observe and record your activities from public locations.
The investigator may film you:
- Carrying groceries
- Driving
- Walking a dog
- Attending an event
- Doing yard work
- Exercising
- Lifting an object
- Entering or leaving medical appointments
The insurer may use a short clip to argue that your limitations are exaggerated.
The best protection is accuracy. Do not claim that you are completely unable to perform an activity if you can occasionally perform it with pain, assistance, or later consequences.
There is an important difference between:
- Being unable to lift anything
- Being unable to lift repeatedly
- Being unable to lift the weight required at work
- Being able to lift once but experiencing significant pain afterward
Tell your healthcare providers and Steele Adams Hosman precisely what you can and cannot do.
Tactic Eleven: Questioning the Necessity or Cost of Treatment
An insurer may accept that you were injured but dispute the treatment or charges.
The carrier may argue that:
- Physical therapy continued too long
- Diagnostic imaging was unnecessary
- Treatment was duplicative
- A provider charged too much
- Surgery was unrelated to the accident
- Chiropractic care was excessive
- The person failed to use a cheaper treatment option
Medical necessity should be evaluated using the records, provider recommendations, diagnosis, response to treatment, and accepted medical reasoning—not simply the insurer’s desire to reduce payment.
Steele Adams Hosman may use treatment notes, billing evidence, medical opinions, and expert review to explain why care was reasonable and connected to the injury.
Tactic Twelve: Disputing Lost Wages or Earning Capacity
Claimants sometimes assume that a doctor’s note and a few pay stubs will automatically establish all wage losses.
The insurer may question:
- Whether the absence was medically necessary
- Whether the claimant used paid leave
- Whether the person could have worked light duty
- Whether income was inconsistent before the accident
- Whether self-employment losses are supported
- Whether a future career limitation is speculative
Strong wage-loss evidence may include:
- Pay stubs
- Tax returns
- Employer statements
- Work schedules
- Disability records
- Medical restrictions
- Job descriptions
- Business financial records
- Vocational evaluations
- Economic expert analysis
A catastrophic injury may reduce future earning ability even when the person eventually returns to some form of work. Steele Adams Hosman examines not only wages already missed but also whether the injury limits future advancement, hours, duties, or career choices.
Tactic Thirteen: Suggesting You Do Not Need a Lawyer
An adjuster may tell you that hiring a lawyer will slow down the claim or reduce the money you receive.
Whether legal representation is appropriate depends on the case. A minor property-damage claim with no injury may be handled differently from a collision involving surgery, disputed liability, a commercial truck, permanent impairment, or several insurers.
You should be especially cautious when:
- Your injuries are serious
- The insurer disputes fault
- Multiple parties are involved
- You may require future treatment
- You cannot return to work
- The adjuster requests extensive medical history
- You receive a quick settlement offer
- A government entity may be responsible
- The claim involves wrongful death
- Policy limits may be inadequate
Steele Adams Hosman evaluates the legal and practical issues, communicates with insurers, preserves evidence, and prepares cases for trial when a reasonable settlement is not offered.
Tactic Fourteen: Misrepresenting Available Coverage
An injured person may be told that there is little or no coverage available.
That may be accurate, but insurance should be independently investigated.
Potential coverage sources may include:
- The at-fault driver’s liability policy
- An employer’s commercial policy
- A vehicle owner’s policy
- Uninsured motorist coverage
- Underinsured motorist coverage
- Personal injury protection
- An umbrella policy
- Rideshare insurance
- Premises liability coverage
- Product liability insurance
Utah defines an underinsured vehicle, in general terms, as a vehicle with liability coverage that is insufficient to fully compensate the injured party for covered damages.
A carrier may also attempt to reduce compensation for an improper reason. Utah law states that an at-fault driver or covering insurer may not reduce an injured party’s compensation merely because that injured person lacks a policy providing personal injury protection coverage.
Steele Adams Hosman can request policy information, examine household and employer coverage, and determine whether additional insurance may apply.
Tactic Fifteen: Pressuring You as a Deadline Approaches
Insurance negotiations do not automatically stop the legal filing deadline.
An adjuster may continue discussing the claim while a statute of limitations or special notice period approaches. If the deadline expires, the insurer may assert that the legal claim is barred regardless of earlier negotiations.
Deadlines can vary based on:
- The type of injury claim
- The identity of the defendant
- Whether a government entity is involved
- Whether the injured person is a minor
- The insurance benefit being claimed
- The date the loss occurred
Claims for benefits under a written personal injury protection policy may be governed by a specific contractual-action period under Utah law.
Do not rely on an adjuster to remind you of every applicable deadline. Steele Adams Hosman can identify the relevant time limits and take legal action when necessary.
What Are Unfair Claim Settlement Practices in Utah?
Utah law prohibits insurers and their representatives from engaging in unfair claim settlement practices. The Utah Insurance Commissioner may define conduct that is misleading, deceptive, unfairly discriminatory, overreaching, or an unreasonable restraint on competition.
Utah’s insurance framework is intended to promote fair and timely claim handling and protect claimants from unfair adjustment practices.
However, the legal rights and remedies available may depend on whether you are:
- Making a first-party claim under your own policy
- Making a third-party claim against another person’s insurer
- Claiming a specific contractual insurance benefit
- Alleging regulatory misconduct
- Pursuing damages against the person who caused the injury
The Utah Insurance Department provides consumer information and accepts insurance complaints. A regulatory complaint is not necessarily a substitute for filing a personal injury lawsuit or complying with a legal deadline.
Steele Adams Hosman can evaluate whether the dispute concerns the underlying personal injury claim, your own insurer’s contractual obligations, claim-handling conduct, or a combination of issues.
What Should You Do to Protect Your Injury Claim?
The following steps can help reduce opportunities for an insurer to undervalue or deny your case:
- Seek prompt medical attention. Describe all symptoms accurately.
- Follow reasonable medical recommendations. Attend appointments and explain unavoidable treatment gaps.
- Preserve evidence. Save photographs, video, damaged property, reports, and witness information.
- Do not speculate about fault. Provide facts without guessing.
- Avoid a rushed recorded statement. Speak with Steele Adams Hosman first.
- Do not sign a broad medical authorization without review.
- Keep claim communications in writing when possible.
- Save all bills and wage records.
- Limit social media discussions.
- Do not accept an early settlement before understanding your future needs.
- Track deadlines. Negotiations do not necessarily preserve your right to sue.
- Contact Steele Adams Hosman. Early legal guidance can prevent avoidable mistakes.
Insurance companies begin protecting their interests immediately. Call Steele Adams Hosman for a free consultation and learn how to protect yours.
Frequently Asked Questions About Insurance Company Tactics
Do I have to speak with the other driver’s insurer?
You generally do not have a direct insurance contract with the opposing carrier. The insurer may need information to evaluate the claim, but you should obtain legal advice before providing a recorded statement or detailed interview.
Should I accept an offer that covers my current medical bills?
Not necessarily. The offer may fail to account for future treatment, lost earning capacity, pain, impairment, or additional diagnoses.
Can an insurer deny my claim because I had a prior injury?
A prior condition may be relevant, but it does not automatically eliminate recovery for a new injury or aggravation. Medical evidence should be used to determine what changed after the accident.
Can the insurer blame me even if its policyholder received a ticket?
Yes. A citation may be evidence, but it does not always control a civil claim. Insurers may still dispute fault or argue that several parties contributed.
What should I do if the insurer stops returning calls?
Document each contact attempt and send a written request for the claim’s status. Steele Adams Hosman can communicate directly with the carrier and evaluate whether litigation is appropriate.
Can I complain to the Utah Insurance Department?
The Utah Insurance Department provides consumer assistance and a complaint process for insurance concerns. The department also publishes information about Utah claim practices.
Will filing an insurance complaint extend my lawsuit deadline?
Do not assume that it will. Regulatory procedures and court filing deadlines are separate issues.
Can the insurance company use my public social media posts?
Potentially. Posts, photographs, comments, and tags may be reviewed and used to challenge your description of the accident or injuries.
What if the adjuster says the offer is final?
A carrier may describe an offer as its final position, but that does not necessarily determine the legal value of the claim. Steele Adams Hosman can evaluate the evidence, coverage, damages, and options for litigation.
Contact Steele Adams Hosman Before the Insurance Company Controls the Claim
Insurance companies are entitled to investigate injury claims. You are also entitled to protect yourself from misleading questions, unfair blame, unnecessary delays, overly broad requests, and settlement pressure.
A serious injury claim should reflect more than the bills that have arrived so far. It may need to account for future medical care, reduced earning ability, permanent limitations, pain, emotional consequences, and changes to your family life.
Steele Adams Hosman provides warm, personalized, and trial-ready representation to people injured in car accidents, truck collisions, motorcycle crashes, unsafe-property incidents, dog attacks, construction accidents, and other preventable events throughout Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front.
Steele Adams Hosman can handle insurer communications, preserve evidence, document damages, investigate available coverage, challenge improper fault arguments, and prepare the case for court when the insurer refuses to offer reasonable compensation.
Do not let an insurance adjuster pressure you into making decisions before you understand your rights. Call Steele Adams Hosman today for a free consultation.
Your future deserves protection. Let Steele Adams Hosman stand between you and the insurance company while you focus on healing.
