It comes as a surprise to many injured accident victims to discover that their insurance companies do not want what is best for them. At their core, insurance carriers are for-profit corporations. One of the many tactics insurance providers typically use in an effort to devalue personal injury claims, involving accidents such as car accidents, truck accidents, or slip-and-falls, is to pressure clients into providing recorded statements.
When Should I Give a Recorded Statement?
Whether or not you are required to give an insurance company a recorded statement depends on whose insurance policy you are attempting to access. If it is your own insurance plan, the terms of your contract most likely require you to comply when asked to give a recorded statement. In this situation, if you refuse, your accident claim may be rejected or your policy canceled.
If you are communicating with someone else’s insurance company after an accident, however, you should not give a recorded statement of any kind. Nothing requires you to do so. Giving permission to another party’s insurance claims adjuster to record a statement from you will not help your claim and will most likely hurt it.
What Are the Risks of Providing a Recorded Statement?
The main goal of an insurance company during conversations with you, as a claimant, is to pay you as little as possible. Insurance companies use various strategies to try to diminish and avoid claim payouts. A common tactic is requesting a recorded statement soon after the accident occurs.
An insurance company will want a statement from you early on, when you most likely do not fully understand the cause of the accident or the extent of your injuries. This is intentional; the insurer wishes to catch you giving statements that don’t match the facts to try to undermine your credibility as a claimant. Even a minor, inconsistent detail could be used against you.
Giving a recorded statement also comes with the risk of unintentionally saying something that places blame for the accident on you. An insurance company will latch onto anything that sounds like you are apologizing for the accident or admitting fault. They will use this against you to minimize your payout (known as the comparative negligence defense).
How to Handle Conversations With an Insurance Claims Adjuster
As a general rule, you should never agree to give a recorded statement to someone else’s insurance company during a personal injury claim in Nevada. If you are asked to do so, politely say no. State that you will instead provide information through a written letter or your personal injury lawyer.
You should also resist the urge to accept the first settlement offered to you by an insurer. Initial settlements are typically set low to make room for negotiations and counteroffers. Rather than quickly accepting, consult with an attorney in Las Vegas first. A lawyer can take steps to protect you from insurance company tactics, such as collecting evidence against the defendant and taking over communications for you.
When you hire a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer to represent you, you can focus on healing while your lawyer aggressively negotiates a fair settlement from an insurance claims adjuster on your behalf. If your case has to go to court, a personal injury attorney in Vegas can help you with the litigation process from start to finish. Your lawyer will do everything possible to protect your rights and pursue the benefits you deserve.