Recorded Statements: Where's The Harm?
If you've been hurt by a careless driver, you must be careful of your actions after the wreck. It's easy to get confused about things when you've been through such a stressful experience and you could harm your personal injury case if you speak to the wrong people. Read on to learn more about why you need to keep your thoughts about the accident to yourself when it comes to certain insurance adjusters.
Why Are They Calling You?
You know you were not at fault and are owed money by the other side, so it's very easy to fall prey to a simple trick employed by the insurance adjuster. They usually call you without warning (to catch you off-guard) and inform you that they are about to send you a check for your money damages. While this might appear to be good news, you must never take that call. They often want you to participate in a recorded phone interview where you answer questions about the accident. Though you may think you are about to get paid, you might end up ruining your chances to get anything at all if you are not careful.
The true purpose of the call is not to get a bit of information from you before they send you a check, but to get you to say something on the recording that could harm your case. Insurance adjusters for the other side are in charge of investigating the accident and they are employees of the insurance company. They are not on your side – the lower the amount of the settlement the happier their supervisors will be with their actions.
How the Adjusters Trip You Up
The adjuster has some enviable social skills. They make you feel relaxed, they sympathize with your situation, they seem polite and respectful, and they present themselves as a form of support in your time of stress. Their job is to be charming so that you will forget who you are speaking to for a while, and that is when you may say something that might trip you up. Take the following scenarios, for example:
1. You tell how the accident happened, but you get a few facts wrong and there are inconsistencies between what you previously said and the recorded statement. This can make it appear that you are lying about how the accident happened.
2. Your memory of events is still fuzzy since you've only been out of the hospital for a few days. You decide that it's okay to guess or speculate about how the accident happened.
3. The adjuster asked you leading questions and later on, you realize that you misspoke about a fact of the case.
4. The adjuster asked a lot of open-ended questions. This made you nervous and you can't remember exactly what you said in response.
You should never speak to an insurance adjuster for the other side. You are not required to do so to get paid what you deserve. Speak to a personal injury attorney as soon as possible instead. Contact a firm, like Hoffman, Larin & Agnetti, for more help.