Protecting Your Right to Recover Fully under Your Policy
When you’ve been hurt in a motorcycle accident, one of the first things you’ll typically think about, once you’ve received the medical attention you need, is notifying your insurance provider. Of course, you’ll want to let your insurer know about your accident. But rather than making your first call to your agent, you’ll customarily be better served by contacting an experienced personal injury attorney. Your lawyer can be your liaison with your insurer, making certain you don’t say or do anything that will jeopardize your potential recovery.
What Should You Do If Your Insurer Tries to Contact You Directly?
If you are already represented by counsel, simply give your insurer the name and phone number of counsel. Don’t be surprised if they keep asking you questions or even ask if you’ll just tell the “the basics.” You don’t have to say anything. Furthermore, they may tell you that it’s their policy to get a recorded or written statement and that they can’t process your claim until they do. That’s not true. You are under no obligation to provide any type of statement to your insurer.
If you don’t have a lawyer yet, your best strategy is to tell the insurance company that you are in the process of hiring legal counsel and will have your attorney contact the insurance company as soon as you have retained counsel. Beware of a number of different strategies your insurer may employ to try to get information out of you:
- They may say that they are only trying to help (and, to some extent, this may be true), but insurance companies are ultimately for-profit entities with one primary goal—to maximize shareholder value. They do that by minimizing the amount they pay in claims. In the final analysis, they’re always looking for ways to pay you as little as possible.
- They may try to bully you, using threats or trying to put words in your mouth. The less you say, the better. Simply keep repeating the name and phone number of your attorney or that you’ll have counsel contact them.
Contact the Law Offices of David J. Karbasian, PC
Send us an e-mail today or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment to discuss your personal injury claim. Evening and weekend consultations are available upon request. We can come to your home or the hospital to meet with you, if necessary.
