Should I Talk to the Insurance Company After an Accident?

Getting involved in an accident can be a scary and disorienting situation. It can be difficult to know who to talk to or what to say, and oftentimes insurance companies are calling within hours or days of the accident to get your side of the story. Unfortunately, insurers rarely have your best interests at heart when it comes to your injury claim. If there is an insurance adjuster who wants your statement, it is critical that you do not talk to him or her without an experienced personal injury attorney by your side. 

Insurance Companies do Not Have Your Best Interests in Mind

After an accident, the insurance companies are not concerned with your well-being. Their main concerns are settling the case as quickly as possible for the least amount of money. Within hours of the accident, the insurer will have a team of investigators and attorneys gathering evidence on your claim and looking for whatever reasons they can find to offer you less than what you deserve for your injuries. Insurance adjusters will often call victims within days of the accident, even while the victim is still recovering, in order to try and get a statement on the record that they can use to mitigate your claims. If you talk to an insurance company alone, the results can be devastating for your personal injury case.

What can Happen if You Talk to an Insurance Company Alone

When you speak with an insurance company on your own, you risk making a statement that can be significantly detrimental to your case. The insurers will use what you say against you to minimize your damages and try to claim that you were partially or fully at fault for the accident. In some cases, the insurance companies can twist what you say to bar you from collecting any compensation for your claim.

Another potentially damaging result of speaking with an insurance company without an attorney is the risk of accepting a settlement worth far less than what you are truly owed for your injuries. In many cases, an insurance adjuster will make an offer to settle immediately after the accident. These offers can be tempting, especially when lost wages, hospital bills, and other financial issues begin to pile up. However, these offers are usually a fraction of what you are truly owed, and ultimately accepting that settlement can backfire when the money runs out and you are still left with expenses from the accident.

How a Personal Injury Attorney can Help

An experienced personal injury attorney understands how the insurance companies work and will protect your claims in an accident case. When you hire an attorney, the insurers are legally obligated to send all communication, including settlement offers and requests for statements, through your lawyer. Your lawyer will help you draft a statement of what happened in the accident that protects your claims while relaying all relevant information about the case. An attorney can also handle all of the negotiation of your claim to ensure that you receive nothing less than the full and fair value of your case. With experience in the personal injury field, your lawyer will be able to review the facts of your case as well as the extent of your injuries and know exactly what your case is worth to insurers.

Finally, if the insurance companies are unwilling to compensate you fairly for your accident claims, a personal injury attorney can take the insurers to trial in order to get you the compensation you deserve. This includes the collection of all evidence and discovery, pretrial motions, and crafting the best possible arguments for trial as to why you should receive fair compensation for your case.

Talk to Our Office Now

At the Tucker Miller Law Firm our team of highly qualified professionals has only one goal for our clients that have suffered injuries as a result of an accident – getting them the full and fair compensation they deserve from the insurance companies and those at fault for the accident. To talk with one of our experts in personal injury law and for a free consultation of your case prior to a discussion with an insurance adjuster, call the office or contact us today.