Should I Give a Recorded Statement to an Insurance Company?

Posted in Car accidents on October 29, 2020

If you or somebody you care about has been involved in a vehicle collision, it is very likely that you will have to deal with one or more insurance carriers soon after the incident occurs.

This means that insurance adjusters will be calling your phone and asking for statements.

You will most certainly hear from the insurance carrier of any other driver(s) involved. One thing that insurance adjusters may pressure you to do is give a recorded statement.

Here, we want to discuss why giving a recorded statement to an insurance carrier is never a good idea.

Will the claims adjuster ask for a recorded statement?

During your first phone call with an insurance claims adjuster, whether in the aftermath of a car accident or some other type of claim, it is very likely that the adjuster will ask you to give a recorded statement.

They may say something like, “Do you mind if I record this conversation?” or “I’m going to record this conversation, if you don’t mind.” You do mind.

You always need to refuse to give a recorded statement when dealing with insurance carriers. Even if the insurance claims adjuster presses you for a recorded statement or makes it seem like this is a requirement, you should still not do so.

You are not required under federal or Tennessee law to give a recorded statement to the insurance carrier. Doing so will usually not benefit you and could significantly hurt your claim for compensation.

Insurance claims adjusters use recorded statements as tools to help payout lower settlements to policyholders.

Claims adjusters are trained negotiators, and they are very good at getting claimants to say things on record that could jeopardize the compensation amount they receive.

By asking for a recorded statement soon after an incident occurs, the insurance carrier is hoping to obtain a statement from you before you have had time to speak with an attorney or investigators about the incident.

Soon after a collision occurs, you very likely do not know the full extent of the injuries you have sustained or the treatment that will be required for you to heal.

Anything you say and a recorded statement could paint an incomplete picture of the incident in question.

It is also very likely that the insurance claims adjuster will be incredibly friendly and engage you in small talk in an attempt to get you to say something that could jeopardize your claim.

For example, if you are talking about your weekend plans with the insurance claims adjuster and mention that you will be driving your family to an amusement park, this is going to be a red flag to the claims adjuster, especially if you are claiming to have sustained various injuries.

You may very well not be participating in any of the rides at the amusement park, but all the insurance claims adjuster needs to show is that you are on record saying you went to an amusement park after claiming an injury.

This may very well be enough information to deny your claim or pay a lower settlement amount.

Speak to an attorney about your case

If you or a loved one have been injured due to the careless and negligent actions of another individual or entity, speak to a Tennessee personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

When you work with an attorney for your injury case, they will be the ones responsible for handling all conversations with insurance claims adjusters.

The first thing an attorney will tell you to do is to not give a recorded statement to the insurance carrier and to let them handle the claim moving forward.