Do I have to give a recorded statement to my insurance company? You might wonder this after a car collision, as you’re going through the claims process to recover compensation for your losses from the at-fault driver’s insurance company or your own insurance company. After you file a claim, an insurance company representative will contact you for more information and may ask you to provide a recorded statement. Are you required to say yes? And if you do say yes, how can you ensure that you don’t hurt your ability to recover compensation for your losses?
Do I Have to Give a Recorded Statement to My Insurance Company?
Personal injury attorneys are often asked by their clients, “Do I have to give a recorded statement to my insurance company?”
While a recorded statement might initially seem like an innocuous request for an insurance company to make, you should not agree to give a recorded statement to your insurance company until you have an attorney representing you. Recorded statements can be used against you in your claim and harm your ability to recover compensation.
How Giving a Recorded Statement Can Hurt You
Insurance companies frequently advertise and portray themselves as caring about the welfare of their insureds. However, you should understand that the primary goal of insurance companies is to increase their profits and minimize the monetary amounts that they have to pay to claimants.
In addition, insurance adjusters who take recorded statements have much more experience than you do in dealing with accidents. This gives them the ability to understand how to twist your words in such a way that they can be used against you. If you give a recorded statement to your insurance company or the insurance company of the at-fault driver, the company may use whatever you say against you even though you did not make the statement while you were under oath.
When your insurance company asks you to give a recorded statement, the terms of your policy might make it necessary for you to give it. You will need to review your policy to see if it is required, and you might want to get help from an attorney before you provide it to your own company. If the other driver’s insurance company asks for you to give a recorded statement, you are not legally obligated to do so because you have not signed any contracts with that company. If an adjuster tries to tell you that giving a recorded statement will help you, assume that he or she is not telling you the truth.
If You Decide to Provide a Statement
Ultimately, you will be the person who decides whether or not to give a recorded statement to an insurance company. Here are some tips for you to follow if you agree to give a statement:
- Tell the company that you do not want it to record your statement.
- Do not volunteer any information.
- Do not explain things. If you are asked to explain something, be brief.
- If you are unsure of something, just say that you are unsure.
- Do not admit fault.
- Do not answer anything unless you fully understand what you are being asked.
- Have a lawyer review anything that you are asked to sign before you sign it.
How to Deal with Insurance Adjusters
When you are meeting with an insurance adjuster, be polite. Getting into arguments with an adjuster or acting rudely will not help you. If you have retained an attorney, the company will talk to your lawyer instead of with you. You can simply inform the insurance company that you have hired an attorney and provide the company with the attorney’s name and contact details.
Contact the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave
Dealing with an insurance company after an accident can be difficult. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave know your rights and the types of strategies that insurance companies use to minimize payments. Contact us today for more information about recorded statements and how to handle such requests by calling 417-322-2222 or contacting us online.