Any person involved in a vehicle accident will likely have to deal with insurance carriers. This is true regardless of who caused the incident. In many cases, insurance carriers will call and ask to take a recorded statement from those involved. It is important not to give a recorded statement to the insurance carriers after an accident occurs.
When insurance carriers call, you can be sure that they are going to be very friendly. Insurance claims adjusters are not necessarily bad people, but the reality is that they have a job to do. The goal of insurance companies, and their employees, is to limit how much compensation they payout when a claim has been made. In order to do this, they will look for inconsistencies in statements. They are nice because this will lower your guard and make you more likely to talk.
One way to ensure that any inconsistencies are turned up is to get a recorded statement from the individuals involved. This is not meant to say that individuals purposely changed their stories over time, but the reality is that memories change, and sometimes people slip up and say small things that alter the details of their story. If a recorded statement differs in any way from the original statement given at the accident scene or a statement given anywhere else, then this could be used to discredit the person making the claim.
Giving a recorded statement to the insurance carrier gives the carrier too many opportunities to turn your story around on you. As we mentioned above, it is not that people intentionally change their statements. It’s just that insurance carriers will use anything they can to limit how much they pay out or to even deny the claim altogether.
If an insurance carrier asks you to give a recorded statement, you should politely decline to do so. In fact, you need to limit how much conversation you have with the insurance carrier in the first place. If you have an attorney, refer any insurance carrier that calls you two your attorney so they can handle the situation.
Please understand that Colorado law does not require you to give a recorded statement to your insurance carrier. No matter how much the insurance carrier pressures you into doing so, you do not have to give a recorded statement.
In addition to not giving a recorded statement to insurance carriers, please refrain from posting anything about your accident or your recovery process online on any social media platform. Even if you think your posts are private, be aware that the insurance carriers or attorneys for the at-fault party will be looking at these statements for any inconsistencies.
The process of recovering compensation through an insurance settlement can be complicated. Insurance carriers, as you have learned, put profits above insurance payouts in most cases. In order to successfully recover the compensation you are entitled to after an injury occurs, you should contact a skilled Denver personal injury lawyer who has experience handling these claims. Your attorney will be the one to handle all communication with the insurance carrier so you can focus on recovering from your injuries and spending time with your family.
