Handling communication with an insurance agency after a car accident can often be challenging because saying the wrong thing could affect an injured person’s ability to receive a fair settlement from the insurance company. Unfortunately, even when a person is dealing with his own insurance company, he should not assume that the insurance company is solely interest in providing the most compensation for the injuries sustained. When talking to an insurance adjuster or another representative from the insurance company, it is important to remember the following points and take some precautions.
In Florida, all drivers are required to have insurance coverage on their cars. When an accident happens, Florida law requires those involved in the accident to first claim compensation from their own insurance companies before seeking compensation for serious injuries, dismemberment, or death from the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Therefore, in many cases, the first call a person injured in a car accident will receive from an insurance company will be from his own insurance company.
It is important to remain calm when you receive the call from the insurance company. Despite the frustration that may come with waiting for an investigation to be completed, keeping calm will help you get information without disclosing too much information yourself. You should also identify the representative you are speaking to in case you need to follow up on information you receive during the call.
The insurance company representative may ask you to discuss the details of the accident, or to give a written statement of how you believe the accident happened. You should politely decline to give this information. You can give basic information about the accident, but you should avoid making statements admitting wrongdoing in the accident. This is because you often do not know all the facts regarding how the accident happened without an investigation. You could be admitting to having caused the accident when the facts are that the other driver was negligent and caused the accident.
Similarly, you do not want to give a lot of details regarding your medical condition following the accident. You should be careful about listing the injuries you suffered after the accident. If you miss out on listing some injuries, you could be accused of making up injuries later. You should also be careful about signing a waiver allowing the insurance company access to your medical records. The waivers can extremely broad and allow access to records that have no bearing on the injuries from the accident. You should not sign a waiver without first speaking to an attorney.
If you are offered a settlement by the other driver’s insurance company, you should have the agreement reviewed by an attorney before accepting it. Not only can a settlement affect your ability to recover full compensation for your injuries, you may end up signing away rights that you are precluded from giving up under your agreement with your own insurance company.
Contact an Experienced Attorney before Talking to the Insurance Company
Before you speak to an insurance company adjuster or representative, you should schedule a consultation with an attorney. An attorney can help you in communicating with your insurance company in a way that does not jeopardize your claim. To ensure you receive the compensation you deserve after a car accident, contact an experienced car accident injury lawyer at Vocelle & Berg, LLP, in Vero Beach, Florida for a free consultation.
Resource:
flhsmv.gov/ddl/frfaqgen.html