Should I Give a Recorded Statement After an Accident in Georgia?

If you have received a request from an adjuster for a recorded statement after a Georgia car accident, your mind may be spinning with questions. Are you required to provide a statement to the insurance company? Could a statement help or hurt your case? Is there anything you should avoid saying?

At R. Alan Cleveland, LLC, these are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from the Georgia car accident victims we represent. Below, we discuss whether or not you should give a recorded statement and what you can do to support your insurance claim for compensation after a crash.

Contact us today to talk to an Georgia car accident lawyer on our respected team about your Georgia car accident case in a free initial consultation.

Should I Give a Statement to the Insurance Provider After An Accident in Georgia?

After a Georgia car wreck, an adjuster from the other driver’s insurance company will likely contact you. They might ask you to provide a written or oral statement about the accident that led to the claim. If they do, your first instinct may be to comply with their request without thinking. However, you are not required to speak to the other driver’s insurance company and are almost always better off not making any statements.

When insurance adjusters ask for statements, they usually do so to lock you into a particular story and then pick at that story for excuses to minimize or deny your insurance claim. They may ask you leading questions with the intent of implying that you were at fault. They can twist your words and take them out of context. If you apologize for any aspect of the accident – perhaps simply expressing regret that an accident occurred – or get your facts confused, they may take your statement as an admission of guilt or a disqualifying inconsistency.

If you must provide information to the other driver’s insurance company at any point, it’s best to contact a personal injury lawyer immediately. A trusted attorney can help you understand what to say and what not to say to the adjuster or even communicate with the insurance company on your behalf.

How Should I Handle Requests from the Other Driver’s Insurance Company?

In general, you should allow an experienced attorney to handle all requests from the other driver’s insurance company. There is a good chance that any innocent statement you might provide could be used against you in some way, whether or not you were at fault for the crash.

The insurance adjuster may try to tell you that acquiescing to their requests and providing a recorded statement is the best way to speed up your case. However, faster doesn’t always mean better. A recorded statement may be just what the adjuster needs to undermine your claim and justify paying you less than they should.

If your case ever goes to trial, your recorded statement may be compared to the testimony you provide in court. If there are any discrepancies across multiple retellings of the same story, the other side can use those irregularities as an excuse to call your statements unreliable. Additionally, if you provide a recorded statement while your medical condition is still developing, the statement may be used to refute future claims of new symptoms or complications.

It’s better to avoid giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company without first seeking advice from a personal injury lawyer. It’s best to simply have a knowledgeable lawyer to communicate with the insurance company on your behalf.

How Can They Use My Words Against Me?

When you agree to speak to an insurance adjuster representing the other driver, they can be very clever about finding ways to use anything you say against you. Your statement could be used to:

• Assign blame for “admissions of guilt” – As a polite individual, you may unthinkingly apologize or admit to mistakes as you recount the details of the accident. However, insurance adjusters will likely choose to interpret these types of statements as admissions of guilt and use them to deny your claim or reduce the value of your claim by assigning you partial fault for the crash.

• Look for errors and inconsistencies – After you provide a written or recorded statement, insurance adjusters can scour every word for factual errors and inconsistencies. They can take statements out of context or twist the meaning of your words. They can cite small mistakes to argue that your word is unreliable or dishonest and use this to minimize your payout.

• Dispute the severity of your injuries – If you tell the insurance adjuster about any pre-existing conditions or give the impression that your injuries are not that serious – many modest people tend to downplay the severity of their injuries – they can use your words to argue that the other driver’s actions did not cause your injuries or deny you compensation for your medical expenses.

Do I Have to Give a Statement to My Own Insurance Company?

Yes, you usually have to talk to your own auto insurance company. Most policies contain clauses that require you to provide a recorded statement if an adjuster from your insurance company asks for one. Even if that is not the case, you typically still need to report the crash to your insurer.

Remember that just because you pay premiums to “your” insurance provider does not necessarily mean they are looking out for you. Just like the other driver’s insurance company, your provider can penalize you by minimizing compensation or raising your insurance rates if they determine you are at fault. You can talk to a personal injury lawyer for advice on communicating with your own insurance company.

What Should I Do After a Traffic Crash in Georgia?

You can safeguard your right to seek fair compensation for your losses after a Georgia traffic accident by:

• Seeking prompt medical attention to determine the extent of your injuries, obtain the treatment you need, and create a formal record of your condition
• Following your doctor’s treatment recommendations to protect your health and demonstrate that you are taking your recovery seriously
• Preserving evidence from the accident scene, such as photos, statements from eyewitnesses, and your own written recollection of how the crash occurred
• Keeping track of all medical bills, repair invoices, pay stubs, and proof of other financial losses related to the accident and your resulting injuries
• Contacting a skilled personal injury lawyer as soon as possible

If You Are Being Harassed By The Insurance Company About A Recorded Statement, Call Our Law Firm Today.

If you were injured in a Georgia car accident, the personal injury lawyers of R. Alan Cleveland, LLC, can handle all communications with insurers and other parties on your behalf so you can focus on healing.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your claim in a free initial case review.