Auto Accident Lawyers

The odds are that each of us will be involved in a car crash at some point in our lives. According to an article by CarInsurance.com, the average driver will be involved in a crash about once every 17.9 years. If you are involved in a crash due to someone else’s negligence, it is very likely you will be receiving a phone call from the at-fault person’s insurance adjuster asking for a recorded statement. 

 Any contact with the opposing adjuster is frowned upon, but especially a recorded statement. Many adjusters use this opportunity to ask you questions in hope of being able to show their insured was not 100% at fault. What you may view as an innocent question and answer can be turned around and relied upon by the insurance company to try and place some percentage of fault on you. Adjusters also try and use this phone call to “lock you down” into what injuries you have suffered even though they may be speaking to you only hours after the crash.

By way of example, adjusters love to ask you when you first saw the vehicle that hit you/pulled out in front of you/etc. before the crash. Many people will say “right before we hit,” or something to that effect. An insurance adjuster will then use the transcript from that recorded statement to try and show you were not paying attention, otherwise, you would have seen the at-fault driver beforehand. Adjusters will also try and make you provide estimated speeds and distances, which never works out well. Most of us are terrible at estimating time, speed and distance.

During a recorded statement, the adjuster will also ask a series of questions regarding your injuries. Many of us have a tendency to downplay how badly we are hurt or only focus on the one or two injuries that are the most painful. Adjusters also like to get a recorded statement as quickly as possible after the crash before you are necessarily aware of the full extent of your injuries. Oftentimes, people will list the painful body parts at the time of the recorded statement, and the adjuster will press them by continuing to ask, “Is that everything?” Once the recorded statement is over, they have you locked in and will use that recording against you if you failed to mention an injury or later develop pain in a different part of your body.

At Snellings Law, our practice focuses solely on helping personal injury victims. If you have been involved in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, please make Snellings Law your first call. We can help you avoid injury claim pitfalls and obtain the full value of your claim.