Unfortunately, auto accidents will happen. If there comes a time when you are involved in an auto accident, be prepared and know what to do so that dealing with the insurance companies and involving parties wouldn’t be a nightmare. One of the things you can be prepared for is to know what to do when you get asked to record a personal statement after the accident.
A Recorded Personal Statement
After an auto accident, an insurance adjuster will most likely want to schedule a session to speak with you to record your personal statement. This is especially true if there were injuries. The point of these sessions is to see if the insurance company can reduce the amount they must pay you to settle the claim.
It is important to note that these personal statements are not always required to settle a claim. Before committing, always talk to your car accident lawyer first since these statements can be used against you. Of course, the statement can only be used against you if they are not consistent and you are not being truthful about what happened.
Tips When Giving a Recorded Personal Statement
Your story of the auto accident should always be truthful and consistent. That starts with the police on the scene, any doctors you saw, your lawyer, your insurance company, anyone else involved, and now the insurance adjuster. It is understandable that the small details of the accident might be fuzzy. An auto accident is a traumatic experience, after all, which can leave you forgetting tiny moments of what happened. But if you report the accident right away, the details are more fresh in your mind.
Remember, immediately after any auto accident, alert the police, your lawyer, and your insurance company. This shows that you took the accident seriously and didn’t delay taking care of things on your end. In addition, this will give your lawyer the opportunity to handle all communication between insurance companies so that you will not need to deal with that burden.
When you do need to speak with the insurance adjuster, take the time to prep with your lawyer. The insurance adjuster is skilled and trained in this area to ask you trick questions during the session. This is why you need to listen carefully before answering the questions. Make a point to rephrase the question in your answer to verify you understand the question. Also, incomplete information is meant to be left out by the adjuster. When you are answering your questions, be thorough so that you are covering the things that your adjuster is not. Just be mindful that you are not ranting or complaining. Just stick to the facts and don’t give opinions.
