Recorded statements after a car wreck are used by insurance companies to determine the facts of a car wreck. This includes damages to the vehicles and injuries to the people involved.
Why do insurance companies do this? To understand why, you need to understand how insurance works. Insurance companies collect premiums from their clients every month to cover potential accidents. They make billions of dollars a year by minimizing claims to be paid out.
After a Car Wreck
Once you’ve been involved in an auto accident, things happen pretty fast. If there is damage done to your vehicle, it will need to be fixed. You will most likely need a rental vehicle during this time.
If you were injured, you will need medical treatment. Attending your doctor visits and rehabilitation will take time away from work or your home. How will you be compensated for these losses?
insurance companies will try and lock down your statement before most of these events even happen. The first couple of days after an accident you should not talk about the details of an accident unless you understand what is being asked.
Legal Requirement
Texas does not have a law which requires parties involved in an accident to provide a recorded statement after a car wreck. Your insurance policy may require that you give a statement to your insurance. But you are not required to provide a statement to the other driver’s insurance company.
Should You Give a Recorded Statement
The insurance company, especially the other driver’s may try and lead the narrative to minimize the vehicle damages and your physical injuries. We have seen way too many statements where the insurance fed the person leading questions. There is no reason to provide a statement when their primary purpose is cost containment. The most important issue should be your well being.
Conclusion
Do not give a recorded statement without a representative from the firm present. Your attorney and their staff have dealt with the ramifications. The information collected shortly after your accident will set the tone for how your claim will be handled. It will also indicate the value that will be placed upon it.
