Being involved in an auto accident can be a stressful event. It can be worsened when you obtain injuries from the accident that are causing you pain, suffering, and inconvenience in your daily life. It’s a very common feeling of wanting to move on from the accident as soon as possible. In fact, many insurance companies bank on the fact that you will do anything to get the incident closed.
While it may be common sense that the other insurance company is going to want to know what happened during and after the accident, it’s not always in your best interests to speak to them directly. Realize that anything you say to the at-fault motorist’s insurance company can be used against you later down the road. It’s always advisable to speak with experienced personal injury attorneys first to get a better understanding of your rights when it comes to receiving compensation due to another party’s neglect.
You Don’t Have To Legally Give A Statement
One common misconception that people have about being in a car accident is that they have to speak with the at-fault motorist’s insurance company. This is not true. You are not legally bound to give them any sort of statement. You may go through your personal injury lawyer for the entire duration of the case.
It’s important to realize that insurance adjusters are trained to seek out faults in which they can identify in an injured party to eliminate their liability to pay out. They will likely record any statements that you give to them and go over the information that you provide with a fine-tooth comb. Any small changes in your story as compared to that in which you gave at the scene of the accident will likely be used to discredit your account of the events of the accident. This could result in a claim denial from the at-fault motorist’s insurance company.
Liability Traps That You Should Avoid At All Costs
The other motorist’s insurance company is trying to limit the amount of money they have to pay out for the vehicle repairs, medical bills, and other costs associated with your claim. To do this they will examine as much information as possible regarding the claim. As a general rule of thumb, the less information that you willingly hand over to the other driver’s insurance company the better for your case.
Trying to get you to agree to sign a medical release form is one of the first liability traps that the opposing insurance company will lay for you. These medical records release forms are written to give the insurance company access to all your past medical records. By law, you do not have to surrender your previous medical records as they are part of the HIPAA Medical Privacy Act. Your lawyer will be able to inform you of the necessary documents from your accident injury that you should give to the other insurance company.
Never Give A Recorded Statement
Recorded statements are something that insurance companies will ask you to do after an accident occurs. Many adjusters are trained to light bring up the idea of sharing your side of the story so they can work on compensating you as quickly as possible. Don’t let any of the insurance adjusters talk change your mind about giving a recorded statement.
You need to realize that a recorded statement can’t be retracted once it’s given. The insurance company can use any part of that recorded message against you to decrease the amount of money they pay out in the form of partial fault or other means. You need to understand that when an opposing insurance company asks you to submit to a statement, it’s not going to be in your best interest.
Insurance companies stay in business by charging customers a monthly premium and limiting the amount of money they must pay out for insurer claims. Over the years they have perfected the information they need to best find faults in a claim where they are able to legally pay less than what they should. Many insurance providers will take a recorded statement so they can compare it to other evidence at the scene. Any variations that are found, even a slight mishap in your wording, can alter the outcome of a claim.
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