After an accident, an injured driver filing a claim will have to fend off the other driver’s insurance adjuster. That’s just the nature of the beast. In particular, one of the things they’ll ask you is to release your medical records.
You have no legal obligation to do this, and, frankly, it would be foolish to do so. Never sign a medical release form. A release opens the door for the adjuster to go through all your medical records, including a ton of stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with your case, but some of which could come back to haunt you. To make matters worse, your records will often bypass you and go directly to the adjuster. If your doctor is inaccurate with anything, you have no chance to correct it. A medical release also grants permission for the insurance adjuster to talk directly to your physician or other medical provider.
Things can be taken out of context, deliberately or not, making your claim look suspicious.
Your best line of defense is to hire an experienced auto accident attorney. If you sign a medical release form to release your records to your attorney, he/she will then determine which parts apply to your case, will review your records with you, and send only relevant information to the adjuster. No matter how personable an insurance adjuster may be, their ultimate goal is to minimize what they pay you.
Insurance company adjusters handle thousands of claims a year with one goal in mind - settling them as cheaply as possible even if you're not fairly compensated
View Details