Insurance adjusters listen for specific statements they can use to reduce your claim. Knowing what not to say protects your recovery under Mississippi law.
Avoid Admitting Any Fault
Even a polite 'I'm sorry' can be treated as an admission. Because Mississippi applies pure comparative negligence, meaning your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault but you can still recover even if you were mostly to blame, any fault assigned to you directly reduces your recovery.
Stick to the facts and let the evidence establish what happened.
Don't Downplay Your Injuries
Saying 'I'm fine' or 'it's not that bad' early — before injuries fully surface — gives the insurer a quote to minimize your claim later.
It's accurate and safer to say you're still being evaluated and don't yet know the full extent of your injuries.
Don't Guess or Speculate
If you don't know a detail — your speed, the distance, the timing — say so rather than guessing. A wrong guess becomes a 'fact' the insurer uses against you.
You can also decline a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer entirely.
Don't Accept or Discuss Settlement Early
Avoid agreeing to numbers or signing anything before you understand your injuries and damages. Once you sign a release, the claim is closed for good.
Frequently Asked Questions
You generally are not required to give them a recorded statement. You can decline and route communications through your own insurer or an attorney.
Yes. It can be treated as an admission and used to assign you fault, which reduces your recovery under Mississippi's comparative negligence rule.
Stick to basic facts, avoid speculation, don't downplay injuries, and don't agree to settlement figures until your damages are fully known.