If you’re involved in a car accident in Georgia, you’ll need to report the accident to your insurance company if you want to file a claim under your policy for injuries and damage to your vehicle. This is true even if the accident wasn’t your fault. However, it’s important to watch what you say to your insurance company. If you aren’t careful, your own words could end up coming back to haunt you as your claim progresses.
The best way to protect yourself after a car accident is to have a Douglasville car accident lawyer handle all communication between you and your insurance company. The Douglasville personal injury attorneys at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., have almost 80 years of combined legal experience and have recovered noteworthy compensation for our clients.
Find out more by contacting our office for a free initial consultation.
What Could Go Wrong with Providing a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Adjuster?
The main reason to avoid making a recorded statement after an accident, even to your own insurance company, is that a recorded statement is much less precise than a written one. Even if you know what you’re going to say and have rehearsed the statement, it’s easy to fumble a word or phrase, or to make a mistake when stating a crucial fact.
Another issue that sometimes arises with recorded statements is that you may use overly familiar or casual phrases, which might be taken the wrong way. In most instances, you’re better off supplying a written account of the accident so you can make sure every word and every fact is correct.
Why Does My Insurance Company Want a Recorded Statement?
While insurance companies generally require policyholders to cooperate in the claims process, a recorded statement is not an official requirement. The main reason insurance companies prefer recorded statements is it’s usually easier and faster than waiting for a written statement from the policyholder.
An accident victim can orally describe the crash in a matter of minutes, but it might take days to provide the same information in written form. Insurance companies also know recorded statements have a greater margin of error, and they may sometimes take advantage of that fact to avoid paying out the full amount in a claim.
What Should I Say and What Should I NOT Say in My Statement?
It’s ideal to provide information about the accident in writing, but if you need to talk to an insurance company after an accident, be aware that what you say and what you don’t say can both have a significant impact on your claim. Here are a few things to watch out for when you’re giving your account of the accident:
What you should say –
- State clearly that you do not wish to be recorded – Make it absolutely clear that while you are willing to talk about the accident, you do not want to be recorded.
- Stick to the facts – Describe what happened in basic, factual terms. Exaggerating what happened, editorializing, or speculating about things beyond the scope of the questions you’re asked can get you into trouble.
- Stay calm – Getting emotional can cause you to say things that may damage your claim, and your outburst may reflect poorly on you.
- Ask for the adjuster’s name and phone number – If there’s an issue with your account of the accident later on, you want to be able to identify who took your statement.
What you should not say –
- “I’m sorry” or anything that could be seen as an admission of fault – You may be sorry that the accident occurred and that the other party was hurt, but saying so could seriously harm your claim. You need to protect your rights, which means limiting the other party’s ability to argue you were to blame for the accident.
- Don’t talk about your injuries – Not all injuries from a car accident are immediately apparent. Until you’ve seen a doctor and have determined the full extent of your injuries, don’t mention them. If you mention your injuries and new symptoms develop after giving your statement, you may have difficulty recovering compensation.
- Don’t answer a question if you don’t know the answer – It’s perfectly fine to say “I don’t know” to an insurance adjuster. Giving a wrong answer, or speculating without evidence, can greatly harm your claim.
- Don’t agree to any settlement offer – The insurance adjuster may try to get you to accept a quick settlement offer. This may be tempting but never agree to any settlement until you’ve spoken to an attorney and have assessed the full extent of your injuries and other losses from the accident.
What Happens If You Don’t Tell Your Insurance About an Accident?
Most insurance companies require their policyholders to report an accident, even if it wasn’t the policyholder’s fault. If you do not report the accident, you could get in trouble with your insurer, especially if the other driver reports the accident. This may mean that you are unable to recover any compensation for your injuries.
However, telling your insurance company about an accident is not the same thing as giving a statement. You can let them know the accident occurred, then provide additional details once you’ve spoken to an attorney.
How Can a Car Accident Lawyer Help Me Deal with the Insurance Company?
A car accident lawyer can help protect you from saying anything or submitting any information to your insurer that may damage your claim. Your attorney can help you draft a statement that meets the insurer’s needs without implicating you or hurting your claim.
Your lawyer can also assist with gathering your medical records and other evidence to help support your claim while still ensuring that any information you submit won’t backfire on you. And if there’s a dispute over what happened in the accident, your attorney can handle all the necessary communication with your insurer.
Get Help from an Experienced Georgia Car Crash Lawyer Now
Filing an insurance claim after a car accident without getting help from a lawyer is a risky and potentially catastrophic move. If you’ve been badly injured, you can’t afford unnecessary delays and other bureaucratic issues that may prevent you from getting fair compensation.
A Georgia car accident lawyer can protect your rights and help you seek the money you need to rebuild your life. To get your free initial consultation with one of the car accident attorneys at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., simply call our office, contact us using live chat, or visit our contact page.
