The way the court systems work in America, one rule of thumb to remember is to say as little as possible. Remember on the cop shows where the police advise the arrested that they have the right to remain silent? Well civil law is like criminal law in that any statement you make can go into the permanent record to be used against you. So the first rule of talking to insurance companies and the like after an accident is to be polite but say as little as possible. You want to wait until after things have calmed down after the accident and you have a plan of action before you talk to the insurance adjuster. A Denver accident attorney can help you find out who to talk to and what to say.
As documentation is so important, before you talk to anyone make sure you write down their name, company and address first. Always remain calm and polite on the phone or in person. Once things go to court, making a scene will not help your cause. Everything in court is decided by evidence, precedent and logic, not emotion. Insurance adjusters deal with angry clients all the time, so you getting angry is not going to get you anywhere. You may even try to be nice, but remember, the adjuster works for the company, and his job is to pay you as little as possible.
They might even be sneaky and try and get you to talk about the accident. You do not want to make any statements or even talk about the accident until you are ready and have consulted with a Denver accident attorney. If you are filing a claim under your own insurance, then there may be a clause where you are required to disclose information. For another person’s insurance however, there is no such need. The adjuster may try and get you to give a statement, but at this time all you need to inform them of is your name, address and telephone number. Afterwards you will be filing a demand letter that goes into the facts of the injury or accident in detail.
You do not have to give details about witnesses, injuries or other parties that are involved at the first meeting with the insurance company. You will want all that information to be documented beforehand. If you state one number for medical bills for example, and you need a new treatment that increases the price afterwards, the insurance company may try to use the original number. So collect all the information as if you were going to court and enlist the help of a Denver accident lawyer to help you write your demand letter.
Never sign anything sent to you by the insurance company without first consulting with your personal injury lawyer, and resist claims to settle in the first couple conversations. If the company is offering to settle early, it probably means that they are just trying to save work and get you satisfied before you discover the full extent of damages.
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Dealing With the Insurance Company and Personal Injury Law
Posted by Saloni | Thursday, August 26, 2010 | Category:
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