Should You Talk to Insurance After a Pacoima Car Accident?

Arya Firoozmand, Esq.

Local Pacoima Injury Attorney · UCLA Law

Arya Firoozmand is the founding partner at L&F Brown. A San Fernando Valley native, he graduated from El Camino Real High School and UCLA Law School. He represents injured clients from every corner of the Valley, from Woodland Hills to Pacoima.

Your phone is ringing. An insurance adjuster wants to talk about your car accident in Pacoima. Before you answer, you need to understand something: there are two different insurance companies involved in your claim, and the rules for dealing with each one are completely different.

Your Insurance vs. Their Insurance

Your own insurance company: Yes, you need to talk to them. Your policy requires you to report the accident, and failing to do so can jeopardize your own coverage. Keep this conversation factual and brief. Give them the basics: when it happened, where it happened, the other driver's information, and the police report number from LAPD Foothill Division or CHP. Do not speculate about fault, do not guess at your injuries, and do not provide a detailed narrative.

The other driver's insurance company: You are under no legal obligation to speak with them at all. None. They have no right to your recorded statement. They are not calling to help you. They are calling to build a case against your claim.

This distinction is the single most important thing to understand about insurance communication after a car accident in Pacoima, and it is the thing most people get wrong.

Why the Other Driver's Insurer Calls So Quickly

The other driver's insurance company will often call within 24 to 48 hours of the accident. They sound friendly. They express concern about your well-being. They say they just want to "get your side of the story" and "get this resolved quickly."

Here is what is actually happening: they are gathering information to minimize your claim. Everything you say in that call can be used against you. Their adjuster is trained to ask questions that lead you to understate your injuries, admit partial fault, or say something that can be taken out of context later.

If you were hit on Foothill Blvd and the other driver's insurer calls the next day, you are probably still running on adrenaline. Your neck might not have stiffened yet. You might say "I feel okay" because, at that moment, you think you do. Three days later, when the whiplash from the crash kicks in and you are at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center getting an MRI, that recorded statement where you said you felt fine becomes the insurer's most valuable tool for arguing your injuries are exaggerated.

The Recorded Statement Trap

The other driver's insurer may ask for a recorded statement. You should decline. You have no legal obligation to provide one to the other driver's insurance company.

Recorded statements are useful to insurance companies for several reasons. They lock you into a version of events before you have all the facts. They capture your words at a time when you may not fully understand your injuries. They can be replayed selectively in later negotiations or at trial to contradict your medical records or your later testimony.

Common recorded statement questions that create problems:

• "How are you feeling today?" (If you say "fine" or "okay," that is now evidence that you were not seriously hurt.)
• "Can you describe exactly what happened?" (Your account may omit details you do not yet realize are important, and omissions become inconsistencies later.)
• "Have you ever had any back or neck problems before?" (Any prior medical history, even from years ago, gets used to argue your current injuries are pre-existing.)
• "Were you doing anything at the time of the accident, like looking at your phone?" (Leading questions designed to establish partial fault.)

What to Say If They Call

If the other driver's insurance company contacts you, here is a script that works:

"I was involved in an accident. I am not prepared to give a statement at this time. Please direct any further communication to my attorney."

If you do not have an attorney yet, you can say: "I am not prepared to give a statement at this time. I will follow up with you when I am ready."

You do not owe them an explanation. You do not need to be rude. You just need to not give them information they will use against you.

What About Your Own Insurer's Recorded Statement?

Your own insurance policy may require cooperation, including a recorded statement, as a condition of coverage. This is different from the other driver's insurer. If your own insurance company requests a recorded statement, you may need to provide one to protect your UM/UIM or med-pay coverage.

Even so, having an attorney present or reviewing the questions beforehand is wise. Your own insurer is not your adversary in the same way, but in uninsured motorist claims, their interests and yours can diverge. A Pacoima car accident attorney can guide you through this process.

Social Media: The Other Recorded Statement

While you are thinking about what to say to insurers, think about what you are posting online. Insurance adjusters routinely monitor claimants' social media. A photo of you at Hansen Dam Recreation Area two days after the crash, even if you were in pain the entire time, becomes evidence that your injuries are not as bad as claimed. A post saying "feeling so much better today" gets screenshot and filed.

Do not post about your accident, your injuries, your recovery, or your daily activities on any social media platform while your claim is pending. This is not paranoia. It is standard practice for adjusters to review Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok profiles of claimants in the northeast Valley and everywhere else.

The Bottom Line

Talk to your own insurance company, briefly and factually. Do not talk to the other driver's insurance company without legal advice. Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer. Do not post about your accident on social media.

If you have already spoken with the other driver's insurer or given a recorded statement, do not panic. It is not ideal, but an attorney can still work with the situation. The important thing is to stop giving them additional information starting now.

Our Pacoima personal injury team offers free consultations. If you are unsure what to say or what you have already said, call us and we will help you figure out where you stand.