As soon as the insurance company learns you were injured in a UTV accident, they will want to record your recollection of what occurred in the accident. Generally speaking, the adjuster who speaks with you will sound very kind and compassionate. Don’t be fooled! This person is well-trained at getting information out of you that will only help to minimize your recovery, not maximize it. Insurance companies understand they will get more with sugar than with vinegar. This is usually not the adjuster who is eventually assigned to your claim and who will have decision-making authority for your claim.
Why do they want to record your statement? Why do they hire people who sound so kind on the phone call you quickly after the accident? They want you to talk. They know the more you talk and the more information you give them, the more ammunition they will have to lower the value of your claim.
Just think, if the female adjuster sounds really nice and compassionate, and if you are a masculine guy, you are much less likely to complain about the injuries you suffered in the UTV crash. In fact, you may just minimize the severity of the injuries because you don’t want to sound like a wimp to this nice-sounding female.
After you tell her you hurt your neck in the crash, she will say and ask, ͞I’m so sorry to hear your neck was hurt in the accident. How badly does it hurt?͟ Because you don’t want to sound like a complainer or a wimp, you say, ͞It really doesn’t hurt that bad.͟ Rest assured, this phrase will be used against you down the road when it comes time to settle your claim.
Let’s say two weeks later you are still having pain in your neck. You see a physician who send you for an MRI. The MRI indicates you have a herniated disc. The insurance company blames the disc herniation on either a pre-existing degenerative condition or on something that must have happened post-accident because you told them your neck didn’t really hurt that bad.
The best thing to do is to call us – the attorneys at UTVlaw. We will not allow the insurance company to take your recorded statement. We protect your interests from the moment you hire us. We will make sure the insurance company treats you respectfully and pays the full value of your claim.
