Insurance companies often ask injured claimants to provide recorded statements early on during an accident investigation. It is a bad idea to provide the insurance company with any type of recorded statement before you speak to a Ponca City personal injury lawyer. An insurance company will likely try to have you admit liability for the accident and then use the recorded statement against you to hinder your personal injury case.
Insurance Claims Adjusters
It will typically be an insurance claims adjuster who will try to speak with you on the telephone and have you provide a recorded statement. Insurance claims adjusters represent the interests of the insurance company, and they are not trying to help you obtain the financial compensation you deserve. In fact, insurance claims adjusters are trained to reduce financial payouts to claimants to save money for the insurance company.
Insurance claims adjusters are also interested in trying to convince you that it is in your best interest to provide the insurance company with a recorded statement. You may think that you can speak to a representative of the insurance company on the phone, but the conversation will likely be recorded. Therefore, you should always speak to an attorney before you make any statements to an insurance representative over the telephone.
Sometimes you may receive a telephone call from an insurance claims adjuster without being notified that you are speaking to an insurance company representative. You should always ask the person calling you to identify themselves and their employer before you speak to them about the accident. Also, you can tell the individual on the telephone that you are represented by an attorney if you have already retained legal counsel.
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SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY TODAYProviding Recorded Statements May Harm Your Case
Recorded statements are often necessary during a civil lawsuit. For example, you may be deposed during a civil lawsuit, and it is necessary to have depositions transcribed by court reporters. However, you do not have to provide the insurance company with a recorded statement at any time during your civil lawsuit until you have analyzed your Oklahoma car insurance policy.
It is not necessary to debate with an insurance claims adjuster about your claims or any potential lawsuit. You do not have to make admissions or provide statements regarding matters which are unfamiliar to you. The best thing you can say to an insurance claims adjuster is to inform them that you cannot provide any statement.
It is necessary for you to understand that if you make a recorded statement to the insurance company, the words will be transcribed so they can be placed in a file. The claim file will be referred to by the insurance company throughout the entire claims process. Also, the insurance claims adjuster will ask specific questions to trick you into admitting liability or that you did not suffer any injuries during the accident.
A Lawyer Can Help You Present the Facts of Your Case
Lawyers are trained to use the facts relevant to a case so that they can strengthen their client’s legal arguments. You do not want to provide the insurance company with a narrative regarding the facts. The attorneys who represent the insurance company will use that narrative to strengthen the arguments they will present to the court.
When you retain legal counsel, you will be able to prepare a statement with the assistance of a trained legal professional. You can leave out any discussion of fault in the statement you create with the help of your attorney. An attorney will likely advise you to create a written statement rather than a recorded statement.
Writing can be edited, revised, and proofread. An oral statement recorded by the insurance company cannot be altered or improved. You can provide a written statement containing only the pertinent facts regarding the accident in which you suffered injuries.
Determining What to Do If Your Own Insurance Company Requests a Recorded Statement
It is often the other driver’s insurance company that asks you to provide a recorded statement. However, it is also possible for your insurance company to ask you for a recorded statement. When you signed an insurance policy agreement with your insurance company, you formed a contractual relationship with the insurance company.
You may transgress the terms of the contract you have with your insurance company if you do not provide the insurance company with a recorded statement. If you want to provide a statement to your own insurance company, you should still consult with your attorney beforehand. You can speak to your attorney about how to craft the statement you provide to your insurance company.
You may want to scrutinize the contents of the automobile liability insurance policy you signed. Specific provisions in the insurance agreement will help you understand if you are required to provide a recorded statement to your insurance company. It may be necessary to analyze multiple policies if you have more than one type of liability insurance.
Protecting Your Legal Rights When You Provide a Recorded Statement
You need to understand how to protect your legal rights if you are required to provide a written statement. It is necessary to not admit fault and to limit your response to the question posed by the insurance company. It is not necessary to provide additional information which may harm your case.
Essentially, do not volunteer extra information. Also, you do not want to guess about any answers you may provide. If you are unsure of a fact or a particular circumstance, then you should state that you do not have sufficient information to answer the question.
If an insurance claims adjuster asks you a question and it is confusing, then you should ask the speaker to restate the question. You do not want to guess at a particular meaning of a word or phrase. During any type of questioning, you should scrutinize the questions posed by the speaker and determine how they are related to your insurance claims.
Contact Us Today for More Information About How to Enforce Your Legal Rights
You have the right to know if you are obligated to provide the other party’s insurance company with a recorded statement. Being aware of your legal rights will enable you to protect your interests and communicate with insurance claims adjusters with confidence. If you are searching for legal representation, then contact us today.
Our attorneys can guide you through the process of providing a recorded statement to the insurance company. Also, we can give you legal advice regarding other statements which may be relevant to your case. It is essential that you understand how to use recorded statements to your advantage if you are recorded to provide them to your insurance company.
