When Should I Talk to the Insurance Company After a Car Accident in Virginia?

Three Deadlines to Remember After a Virginia Car Accident

There are three separate clocks that start ticking when you experience a car crash in Virginia. It’s important to fully understand them, because meeting one doesn’t mean you’ve met the others, and mixing them up is a common and costly mistake.

Tell Your Own Insurance Company—Even If the Crash Wasn’t Your Fault

After you’ve been in an accident, in addition to filing a police report, you should also contact your own insurance company to let them know about the accident.

Notifying your own insurance company matters for two big reasons:

• First, your policy may include coverage that pays out regardless of fault.
• Second, if you skip this step, your own insurer may later refuse to back you if the other driver claims you caused the crash.

What Do I Need to Tell My Insurer After a Car Accident?

• The name, address, and phone number of any other drivers and vehicle occupants involved
• The insurance policy information for any other driver involved in the accident
• Vehicle make, model, year, and color of the other vehicle(s) involved
• The agency responding to the accident (whether municipal police, county sheriff, state highway patrol)
• The date, time, and place of the accident
• Basic facts like speed, weather, the direction traveled, and who hit whom

Stick to those facts. Avoid guessing about who was at fault or how badly you were hurt, even with your own insurer.

Remember: It is your right to speak to an attorney first or even have them present when you talk to an insurance company.

How to Handle the Other Driver’s Insurance Company

Before speaking with the other driver’s insurance adjuster, know that anything you say can and likely will be used to reduce or deny your claim, even statements that seem harmless. Insurers are trained to ask questions that sound casual but are designed to protect their bottom line, not yours.

Wait to Speak to the Other Driver’s Insurance

Insurers can be tricky. The adjuster may ask how you’re doing. But even a simple, “I’m fine” response can be used against you as proof that you are not, in fact, injured. Even if you do feel fine, keep in mind not all injuries show up immediately, and some worsen with time.

Do Not Volunteer More Information Than Is Needed

Extraneous statements may be used against you, resulting in a reduction in the value of your claim or refusal of reimbursement altogether.

Remember: The goal of the insurance company is to pay out as little money as possible.

Adjusters do not necessarily have your best interests in mind, no matter how polite and helpful they may seem on the phone. They are still looking for some way to blame you in an effort to reduce their liability.

The purpose of taking a recorded statement is to set in stone your version of events, but recollections can change in the days that follow. It is wise not to make a statement until the dust has settled, you’ve had an opportunity to process what happened, and have spoken with an attorney.

What to Say and What Not to Say to the Other Driver’s Insurance Adjuster

Say This: 

• Facts only: “This is the date, time, and location of the accident.”
• Defer to the experts: “I’m being checked out by my doctor.” 
• Don’t feel pressured into an answer: “I need some time to think this over.” 
• Play it safe: “Can I provide a written statement?” 
• Know your rights: “I’d like to talk to my attorney first.”

Don’t Say This: 

• Don’t speculate: “I guess this is how fast I was going. They may have had the right of way.” 
• Don’t assume: “I’m fine, I feel okay, I’m not hurt.” 
• Never admit fault or guilt: “I’m sorry this happened; I didn’t see them coming.” 
• Don’t give in without preparation: “Recording my statement is fine.” 
• Never accept a first or fast offer: “I’ll take that settlement offer.” 

Do I Have to Give a Recorded Statement to the Other Driver’s Insurer?

No. You’re not required to give the other driver’s insurance company a recorded statement. The requirement is different from that of your own insurer, with whom you do need to cooperate.

However, keep in mind that this doesn’t mean answering every question as soon as it’s asked. With either insurer, you can typically ask to provide a written statement instead of a recorded one.

This gives you time to speak with an attorney and provide accurate details, rather than speaking on the spot and questioning your memory of events in a high-pressure scenario.

Questions to Ask When the Other Driver’s Adjuster Calls You

Before you get a call from the other adjuster and feel pressured for a quick response, remember to ask these questions:

• What is your name and your contact information?
• What is the claim number?
• Which insurance company do you represent?
• What happens during this process, and when will you provide updates?

If you haven’t heard from the other driver’s insurer yet, brush up on what you can expect when an adjuster calls.

What Should I Do If My Car Accident Was Minor?

A minor car crash can still have a major impact on your health and your finances.

It might be tempting to treat a fender-bender casually because the DMV data shows that a majority of crashes are minor on paper. But statewide, reported injuries actually rose 15.8% year over year even as total crashes fell 10.4%.

It’s a reminder that injury severity and crash severity don’t always go together. Soft-tissue injuries like whiplash and concussions routinely show up hours or days later.

If you’ve been in what you would consider a minor accident, you should still be checked out by medical providers. You should also still notify your own insurer and avoid discussing fault or accepting a same-day settlement from theirs.

How Hampton Roads Insurance Adjusters Typically Operate

Insurers don’t handle every claim the same way. Instead, they develop patterns based on the region and the person on the other end of the line.

Shonda, a former insurance claims adjuster, had this to say:

“When I worked at the insurance company, we had a special team dedicated to Rutter Mills cases. We knew that when we saw that name, we were in for a fight.”

This dynamic isn’t unique to Shonda’s company. Adjusters often pace their offers, push for recorded statements early on, or frame “just a few quick questions” very differently based on the responses of the person on the other end.

In a region as dense with crashes as Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach alone logged nearly 5,000 crashes in 2025), local adjusters see the same handful of firms’ names repeatedly and adjust their approach accordingly.

“We’ve spent more than 65 years going up against insurance companies. We know exactly what they’re trying to do, and we know how to stop them.”

— Brother Rutter, Managing Partner