Speaking to an Insurance Company after a Long Island Car Accident
There are many risks associated with speaking with an insurance company after a Long Island car accident. The most significant risks are jeopardizing your rights to compensation. Often these insurance companies will try to get injured drivers to admit fault even to avoid having to pay compensation. They may also offer settlement checks for much less than a claim is worth to bar your ability to collect the full amount of compensation you are entitled to. An experienced car accident attorney can help you avoid the common pitfalls when speaking to an insurance company that could threaten your claim.
Danger of Speaking with an Insurance Company After a Car Accident
The danger of giving recorded statements to another driver’s insurance company before consulting with an attorney is that it could jeopardize their ability to recover the compensation they are entitled to. Similar to giving statements at the scene of the accident is not good, giving statements to an insurance company speaking with a truck accident attorney could result in the injured driver telling the insurance company they were in some way responsible for the accident.
Insurance companies do this every day. They know the type of questions to ask to get drivers to admit fault, even if they were not at fault. They know how to repeat questions in different ways that would get many people to say something that could indicate fault.
Sometimes the person might make statements they believe will help their case. They think they are helping move the claim along or that they are just trying to be nice, so they give unnecessary statements. Consulting an experienced car accident lawyer can help an injured party avoid making statements to an insurance company that could hurt their claim.
What Happens if Someone Accepts a Check in Long Island?
There are many common scenarios in which the other driver’s insurance company might offer a check. It is not as frequent as it used to be, because more people are aware of this type of trick. What happens is they might have an insurance company call them when they get out of the hospital and offer a check. Maybe the person is in need of money immediately so they might agree to that instead of hiring a lawyer and going through the court system.
When they sign that check, there is a good chance they are signing something else along with that check that says they are not going to bring any more claims against the insurance company and that they settled the case. Many times after they sign that check, whatever injury they had gets worse and they may need additional treatment. However, they may be unable to seek compensation for that additional treatment because they settled their case. Therefore, it is crucial to speak with a knowledgeable car accident lawyer before taking any settlement check from an insurance company.
Seek Representation Before Speaking to An Insurance Company after a Long Island Car Accident
Speaking to an insurance company after a car accident in Long Island before talking to an attorney can be risky. Insurance companies are looking to settle cases as quickly and as cheaply as possible. This means they may try to get you to admit fault or may offer a settlement check for far less than the case is worth. If you were hurt in a car accident in Long Island, speak to a well-versed attorney before talking to an insurance company. Call today for a free consultation.