You have just been injured in a car accident.
The insurance adjuster calls.
He wants to take your statement and record it on tape.
Should you do it?
At Mark Godbey & Associates, our personal injury attorneys are frequently asked this question. Imagine you have just been injured in a serious automobile accident. Â As soon as you are released from the hospital, the insurance company of the person who caused the crash is knocking at your door or calling you. The adjuster wants information, including a recorded statement, and also wants you to sign medical releases. It is easy to feel pressured by the insurance company for fear that your car damage or medical bills will not be paid unless you cooperate.
This is absolutely false. There is no requirement that you give a recorded statement or sign medical releases as a condition of getting your car damage or medical bills paid for by the other driver’s insurance company. Before you consider giving such a statement, you should contact an attorney to discuss your legal rights. At Mark Godbey & Associates, we have skilled personal injury attorneys who can assist you in this process. We offer FREE consultations over the phone or in person. Call us at 513-241-6650 to schedule a time to speak with one of our attorneys, or visit our web site at: www.GodbeyInjuryLaw.com for more information.
Generally, when the other driver was clearly at fault for the crash, there is no reason to give a recorded statement. There is no question about who is at fault and you cannot yet know the full extent of your injuries only a few hours after the accident.
Insurance companies train their adjusters to get these recorded statements, sometimes twisting your words and tricking you into saying something which they or their attorneys can use against you later. We all tend to say: Oh, I’m not hurt that bad. I’ll be okay. Then later, if you need physical therapy or more treatment than you anticipated, the insurance company can refuse to cover it. In certain situations, it is necessary to give a recorded statement, but our experienced attorneys at Mark Godbey & Associates can help you make that determination. Call us at 513-241-6650 to speak with an attorney. There is no charge for the phone call or office visit.
Insurance adjusters also try to get you to sign medical releases. Beware that this gives them access to ALL of you medical records, not just those related to your car crash. The adjuster can go back years to find medical records related to an old neck or back injury. Although you may have recovered from this previous injury, the insurance company will certainly use it against you in the evaluation of your claim by claiming that you already had a bad neck or backâ€.
Before you sign any s or make any statements to an insurance adjuster, call one of our experienced personal injury attorneys for some advice. We have three office locations to serve you: Cincinnati, West Chester and Florence. For more information, please visit our web site at: www.GodbeyInjuryLaw.com or call 513-241-6650 to schedule a free office visit.
Mark E. Godbey, Attorney at Law
Mark E. Godbey & Associates
708 Walnut Street, Suite 600
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
513-241-6650 phone
(513) 241 – 6649 fax
This article was written by attorney Mark E. Godbey. For more information, please visit our web site at www.GodbeyInjuryLaw.com or call our office at 513-241-6650.