If you were recently involved in an accident, you might have several concerns. What if you’ve been injured? Long-term effects can be traumatic to both you and any other passengers involved, not to mention medical bills or physical damage to your car. Once you begin the recovery process, you will have to deal with hospital bills, car dent removals, personal injury, and lost wages. If you are not at fault for the accident, you should expect to receive a phone call from the other party’s insurance company. The insurance company will use insurance adjusters to build a case to minimize the settlement payment to your claim. When you are caught up in such a scenario, contact Hale Law, P.A.
Why Talking To Insurance Company On Your Own Is Not A Good Idea
The insurance company will attempt to talk you into saying something which they could use against your case. Even casual answers given to the insurance company can significantly lower your chances of getting the settlement you deserve. Despite what the claim adjuster may tell you in their initial approach, you do not have to disclose any information to the insurance company before you have had a chance to seek out legal counsel. You shouldn’t answer any questions from an insurance company without the aid of a legal representative from Hale Law, P.A.
If you are not the party at fault, the insurance company representing the driver at fault will try to set up an interview with you soon after the car accident. In the interview, they will try to document what happened in the accident, in your own words, and ascertain the damages to any passengers as well vehicles. At this point, it would be advisable to seek out the help of a car accident attorney. Since the goal here is to ascertain the severity of the injuries, the claims adjuster will look for words you may say which downplay the extent of any serious medical injuries. And any injuries which might have seemed minor but then worsened could be dismissed as not having been caused by the accident, thereby reducing your rightful claim.
Questions You Should Expect During This Process
- What are the specifics of the date and time of the accident?
- What are the specifics of the make, model, and year of the vehicle you were driving while involved in the accident?
- Were any other motor vehicles or passengers involved in the accident?
- How much damage did your vehicle incur in the accident?
- Is your vehicle in the garage? What is the estimate for the total cost of repairing this damage?
- Did you file a report with the police at the scene of the accident?
These are examples of questions you should answer because they do not lend anything against your claim and only strengthen your compensation case. Here are some examples of questions that you should not answer:
- Where were you coming from when you were involved in the accident?
- Were you wearing a safety belt at the time of the accident?
- How did the accident occur?
- Was it dark or rainy at the time of the accident?
- Were there any witnesses to the car accident? If so, can you provide us with their contacts?
- Can you qualify the injuries you incurred due to the car accident?
- Did an ambulance take you from the scene of the accident to the hospital?
It is inadvisable to sit for an interview with the insurance company’s adjuster without a qualified personal injury lawyer present. Good personal injury attornies can protect you from being taken advantage of by insurance claim adjusters by looking out for your interests and speaking on your behalf during negotiations.
Insurance companies must operate within the legal and ethical standards in which they exist. State and Federal laws regulating the insurance industry are designed to navigate the fine line between protecting policyholders and claimants and keeping giant insurance companies in the business. When insurance companies step outside these boundaries, they find themselves in legal trouble or, worse, liable to fines, fees, or punitive damages. The bottom line is, the insurance adjuster is not your friend. It would be best to hire an experienced attorney to deal with them.