Don’t Get Tricked by the Other Side’s Insurance Company
Do you trust an insurance company? You may not. And yet, when many people are in accidents, they give no thought to making the foolish mistake of trying to handle their case on their own, leaving them to negotiate with the other side’s insurance company on their own.
Make no mistake about it—insurance companies are there to make money, not to pay money out to people—and while your own insurance company may have some obligation of good faith to you, the other side’s insurance company does not. They can do and say almost anything that they want, making it an especially bad idea to handle them on your own, without a good injury attorney.
Giving Statements Under Oath
One thing that the insurance company for the Defendant will often do, is convince you to give them a recorded statement. This is like an interview that is recorded, transcribed, and sworn to under oath. What you say can and will be used against you, should you later have to file a lawsuit.
On the other side of this statement, asking questions, is a seasoned insurance adjuster, who has the guidance of the insurance company’s lawyers. They know what questions and answers will trip you up and weaken your case. Even innocuous questions that sound harmless, often have a “hidden agenda” to weaken your case.
What’s possibly even worse is that they will make it sound like you must give them the recorded statement. But they are not your insurance company, and you are actually under no obligation to do or say anything to them.
They’ll Say Your Case is Terrible
The insurance adjuster for the other side (who by the way, will often sound like he or she is your friend or just trying to help you, when that’s anything but the case), will tell you why your case is, frankly, terrible.
They’ll tell you that they have great defenses. They’ll say the law doesn’t allow you to recover. They will “predict” what a jury will do in trial. When you’re done listening to this “advice,” they will have convinced you that there is no way to win, when most of these asserted defenses and scenarios are false.
Small Payouts and Releases
Also in an effort to sound helpful, and sound like they are your friend, they will offer seemingly helpful, but really nominal payments. For example, they will offer to cover a doctor’s visit, or to pay for a week’s worth of lost wages.
If you accept these offers, your acceptance will come at a price: you will have waived the right to sue for any more money in the future. They will require that your acceptance come with a release, that says that you can never come back to them for more compensation—no matter how long you’re out of work, or how injured you are, or how much your medical condition may worsen.
Avoid these problems and get legal help today after your accident. Contact the Tampa personal injury lawyers at Barbas, Nunez, Sanders, Butler & Hovsepian and schedule a consultation today.
Source:
millerpublicadjusters.com/free-property-insurance-claim-advice-blog/what-is-examination-under-oath
