Tips For a First Call With Insurance After Accident
Most insurance companies require their policyholders to notify them as soon as possible following an accident. This means you may need to call the insurer when you were in a crash that resulted in injuries or damage to either vehicle.
In general, they expect a call within a few hours—or a few days if you suffered injuries. However, you do not have to give them a recorded statement or an in-depth report during this call. In fact, it may be beneficial to avoid it. Knowing what to say during this call could protect your right to fair compensation later.
What They Will Want to Know, and What to Ask During This Phone Call
When calling the insurance carrier, tell them you were in an accident. They will likely ask questions, such as when and where the collision occurred. It is vital to stick to the facts and not offer any opinions. Even if they ask for an opinion, stick to the information they could discover from the accident report, such as:
- Where the accident happened
- What time it occurred
- How many vehicles were involved
You can also ask them about the next steps in the process. They will likely tell you that an adjuster will get in contact about your damaged vehicle and explain how to get a rental car through the insurance coverage if you have this option available.
Things to Avoid Saying During a Phone Call with an Insurer
It is vital to avoid discussing or speculating about:
- What happened
- Who caused the crash
- The nature or severity of your injuries
- What you “think” or “estimate” about any part of the crash or case
You should never tell the insurer that you are not injured, especially early in the process. In the first few hours or days after the accident, you may be running on adrenaline, which can make your pain or injuries seem less severe than they are. You may only discover certain injuries later or realize they require much more treatment and care than you anticipated initially.
Overall, it may be wise to avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurance company without discussing it with an attorney first, as this could jeopardize your rights. In addition, think twice about signing anything that allows either insurer to access your medical records. This could also hurt the case.
Understand that Neither Insurance Company is on Your Side
Even as the policyholder, it pays to keep in mind who they work for when talking to an insurer. It is generally not you, as their company’s bottom line comes first. Speaking openly about the case with any insurance company employee could potentially harm your financial recovery.
Insurance companies often use certain tactics to try to get accident victims to hurt their own cases. Giving them a statement, allowing them to look over your medical records, or speculating about what happened to cause your injuries could backfire. You want to be cooperative and help them, but they may want to capture something they can use to devalue or deny the claim.
You can protect your rights by avoiding making an official statement or offering opinions. When you hire our firm to handle the case, we will take care of any further communications with the insurance companies and other related parties.
Do Not Give the Other Party’s Insurance Company a Recorded Statement
If the other party’s insurance company calls, you want to avoid giving them a recorded statement. Instead, you can tell them you need to speak with a law firm first and let one of our attorneys handle all communication with them.
We can fight to ensure that the insurers’ investigations do not jeopardize your right to a fair settlement.
How Else Can a Personal Injury Law Firm Help with Your Case?
Our personal injury law firm represents clients on a contingency-fee basis. This approach to fees means you do not need to pay us upfront fees to get our team to handle the insurance claim or lawsuit. We also provide free case reviews so that you can learn more about your case at no cost. You can also take this time to ask any questions you have about our services and get a feel for our team.
Once we represent you, we will contact all insurance companies involved, prepare the necessary paperwork, and present evidence to support the claim. This evidence will include the documentation of your injuries, costs, and intangible losses, proving your recoverable damages and the value of the case.
There Is Not Much Time to Take Legal Action
If you need to sue the other party to pursue fair compensation, you may have only two years under to file the lawsuit, according to the following statutes:
- CC Art. 3492 for injury cases
- CC Art. 2315.2 if your family member died from their collision injuries
If you enlist the help of a car accident lawyer from our team early enough, we may be able to make the initial call to the insurer on your behalf, as well.
You Can Talk to the Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers Team for Free Today
At Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers, we represent victims of traffic accidents and other personal injury incidents across Louisiana. You can speak with a team member about the case and your options today at no charge.
Call (337) 777-7777 now. We may be able to go to work for you right away.
