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Should I give the insurance company a recorded statement?

After you have been involved in an injury accident that was caused by the negligence of another driver, you will likely be contacted by the at-fault driver’s insurance company. The company or its representative may ask you if you will give a recorded statement. It is important for you to avoid giving a recorded statement without first contacting a personal injury lawyer. Insurance companies are profit-driven businesses, and their interests lie in maximizing their profits and minimizing their losses. One way that they do this is by trying to dispute or deny liability. Insurance adjusters who contact you after your accident from the other driver’s insurance company may use your recorded statement against you in your claim.

Why insurance adjusters ask for recorded statements

Insurance companies for other drivers are tasked with gathering as much information as possible about the accidents so that they can try to help to save their companies money. When they are able to get your consent to record a statement, the insurance company will have it on record. It will look for anything that might weaken your claim. The company may then use your recorded statement against you and enter it into court as evidence in your claim. Insurance companies and adjusters are skilled at designing questions to ask in recorded statements in such a way that you might say something that you didn’t mean. The companies may later use the recorded statement if there are any inconsistencies in your testimony and the statement that you gave months prior to make you appear less believable. Giving a recorded statement does not offer you any benefits and may instead be used to place blame on you for an accident that was not your fault or to weaken your claim.

What to do if you are asked to give a recorded statement

If the insurance company that is asking you for a recorded statement is the other driver’s company, you should politely decline to give a statement. You can tell the insurance company that you want to talk to an injury lawyer before you will agree to make any statement. You do not have a contract with the other driver’s insurance company, and there are not any laws that require you to give a statement to the company.

When you meet with your personal injury lawyer, he or she will discuss whether a recorded statement is in your best interest and can sit with you during your recorded statement. If the attorney believes that giving a statement is in your interests, he or she can help to guide you through the process.

What to do if your own company asks for a recorded statement

Many insurance companies include provisions in their policies that require their insureds to give recorded statements when they are asked to do so. If your own insurance company asks for you to give a recorded statement, you should first consult with your personal injury attorney. If you are filing a claim under your uninsured or underinsured motorists coverage, consenting to a recorded statement may be necessary. In these cases, tell your company that you want to schedule your statement with your lawyer so that you can make certain that your rights are protected.

Asking injured victims for recorded statements is one of a number of different strategies that insurance companies employ in an attempt to avoid paying claims completely or to reduce how much money that they will ultimately be forced to pay in claims. By getting help from a personal injury lawyer before giving a statement, you may be better able to make certain that your rights are protected. Contact a personal injury lawyer today to schedule a consultation so that you can learn more about protecting your rights.

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