Everyone knows they should notify their insurance company immediately after an accident, right? Wrong.

The first call you should make after a wreck is to 911, but after the emergency, you need to call a lawyer.

Once the police document the incident and you receive emergency medical treatment, your lawyer will help you navigate the insurance matrix you will soon find yourself in whether you like it or not.

Most people that end up calling my office after realizing they cannot resolve their claims alone called their insurance company immediately after they were injured.

Of course your insurance company and the at-fault driver’s insurer need to be notified promptly. However, that first phone call to an insurance adjuster can be crucial to preserving both your rights and your recovery. So even just speaking with your lawyer first can make all the difference.

Here’s what happens: The insurance company (you notified immediately) immediately went to work investigating your property and injury claims in an effort to deny liability and reduce any future recovery — and, yes, this includes your recovery even though it is your insurance company.

It is hard to wrap your head around that, I know. You want your insurance adjuster to deny liability when you are not at fault, but you also want her to know how injured you are so that she will reserve her portion of your future recovery — after the liability insurer pays its policy limits.

So, with that in mind, the adjuster tells you that she needs a recorded statement. She says you have a duty to cooperate, and that means you must give her a recorded statement. She tells you that she needs that statement to determine whether you are at fault. And she says she needs it before she can go any further, and without it she will never be able to offer you any settlement for your property damage claim or your bodily injury claim.

Do you know how to handle that conversation so that she gets what she needs on her end to process your claim, and so that you do not end up giving an unsworn statement that can and will be used against you in a court of law?

It’s OK. Your lawyer does.