The call may arrive before the medical bills or the police report. An adjuster asks for a recorded statement and describes it as a routine step. You may still be sore, tired, or unsure exactly how the collision happened.
Before agreeing to an interview, establish who the adjuster represents and what is being requested. A request from the other driver’s liability insurer is different from a request under your own insurance policy.
Identify the insurer and the claim
Ask for the adjuster’s name, company, claim number, and contact information. Confirm whether the request concerns property damage, bodily injury, or both. Ask whether the conversation is already being recorded and request the proposed interview topics in writing.
Do not assume that a familiar insurance-company name means the adjuster represents your interests. Both drivers can have policies with the same company, while the particular claim being handled still matters.
Check your own policy before refusing a request
A third-party claimant is generally not bound by the other driver’s policy cooperation clause. Your own policy can impose notice, cooperation, or other duties. Those duties may be relevant to uninsured-motorist coverage, personal injury protection, or another first-party claim.
The Maryland Insurance Administration’s automobile-insurance resources explain common coverage categories. Your declarations page, policy, endorsements, and the actual request still need review. A blanket instruction to ignore every insurer can jeopardize coverage or delay a legitimate claim.
Accuracy matters more than speed
If an interview will occur, review the facts you can reliably state. Have the date, location, direction of travel, and available records ready. Distinguish an observation from an estimate. If you do not know the answer, say that rather than supplying a number you cannot support.
- Do not guess at another driver’s speed or the length of a brief interval.
- Do not describe an injury as resolved unless that is accurate.
- Do not accept a summary that changes what you said.
- Correct a misunderstanding plainly during the conversation.
- Ask for a copy of the recording or transcript and keep correspondence about the request.
This is not an invitation to rehearse a favorable version of events. A consistent, truthful account is the goal. If medication, pain, language access, or another issue prevents a reliable interview, explain the problem and discuss appropriate arrangements.
Keep separate requests separate
A recorded statement is different from a medical authorization, a property-damage release, or a full settlement release. Ask for each document and review its scope. A broad authorization can reach records well beyond the particular injury. A release can affect claims you intended to keep open.
Maryland’s contributory-negligence rule makes statements about fault especially consequential. A casual estimate or an unclear answer can become part of a dispute about whether your conduct contributed to the injury. The evidence still needs to be evaluated as a whole.
Bring the request to an early consultation
Save the adjuster’s email or voicemail, the policy documents, any photographs, and a short collision timeline. If a deadline has been stated, record who set it and whether it appears in a policy provision, letter, or court order. Negotiations do not automatically extend legal filing periods.
The Law Office of Dondi West handles Maryland personal injury matters. Request a consultation before giving a substantive recorded statement when fault, injuries, or coverage are disputed.
General legal information, not advice for a particular matter. Reviewed September 16, 2026. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.