4 Tips for Talking to Your Insurance Company After an Accident

You might think that your insurance company is “on your side” and working for you, but in fact, they are looking for ways to avoid paying you significant amounts of money. Here are some tips to remember to avoid giving your insurance company an edge:

1.Only provide the facts

Do not offer your side of the events by giving a whole story. Simply offer the basics of what happened, such as just saying it was a rear-end collision. Sometimes drivers involved in accidents do not remember exactly what happened. Do not try and guess at what you think happened. If you are not sure, do not say anything because the truth will come out.

2.Never assume blame

The worst thing you can do is accept blame in an accident. Even if you are at fault, many drivers will have the tendency to admit fault and apologize for the accident. Sometimes you may think the accident was your entire fault, when in fact, the other driver could have taken steps to avoid it. Leave it to the police reports and other evidence to prove fault in your accident case.

3.Get the compensation you deserve

Insurance companies want to pay as little as possible in compensation. Make sure you take the proper steps to avoid losing money in compensation. Make sure you seek treatment from a reputable doctor. If you are talking to your insurance company about injuries that are not documented by your doctor, your insurance company will not consider those injuries.

4.Words to NEVER say to your insurer

Sorry—implies fault

I’m fine—without injuries to show, it is almost impossible to recover compensation. Some injuries take time to show

Sure, record me—insurers love to obtain recorded statements of their insured because sometimes they can catch their insured lying or exaggerating

Whiplash—insurance industry experts say that this throws up red flags to insurers that you are exaggerating the severity of the accident

If you or a family member has been injured or killed in a car accident caused by the fault or negligence of another person and would like to consult an experienced Virginia personal injury attorney for free, contact us at (410) 995-1515 to schedule an appointment at one of our office locations in Annandale or throughout Virginia or visit us online.