In Idaho, routine injury claims often settle around $15,000 to $40,000 when the injuries are modest; serious cases involving surgery, electrocution, or permanent hearing loss can climb far higher.

The short answer is no: an adjuster for the other side's insurance company usually cannot make you give a recorded statement just to consider your claim.

That is the first thing to know. The next question you should be asking is: whose insurer is asking, and is this a workers' comp claim, your own policy claim, or a claim against the at-fault party?

Those are three different situations.

If it is the other driver's insurer after a crash on US-12 near Lewiston, or after a summer blowout wreck with tourist traffic and farm trucks mixed together, they want the recording because it can lock you into early guesses about speed, pain, prior injuries, or when treatment started. They may later use "inconsistencies" to lowball or deny part of the claim.

If it is your own insurer, your policy may require cooperation, but that still does not mean every broad fishing-expedition question is fair.

If you were hurt on the job, your boss telling you to "use your own insurance" instead of workers' comp is a separate red flag. Idaho employers generally must carry workers' compensation, and retaliation for pursuing benefits can create its own problems. The Idaho Industrial Commission oversees workers' comp claims. A work injury should be reported promptly, and benefits can cover medical care and wage loss without waiting for fault fights.

Idaho also bars insurers from certain unfair claim practices under Idaho Code § 41-1329, including misrepresenting facts or dragging out claims without a reasonable basis.

Before answering any recorded questions, pin down:

• Which insurer
• What claim type
• What policy duty they say requires it
• Whether they will accept a written statement instead