Do You Need to Give My Insurance Company a Statement After a Charlotte Car Accident?

Being part of a car accident is always stressful. Your focus in the days following a Charlotte car accident should be on recovering from your injuries. Nonetheless, many insurance companies attempt to take a recording of you discussing the car accident shortly after the crash.

Are you required to give your insurance company or the insurance company of the other driver a statement? No; while you must speak to your insurance company, you are not required to give a statement to another driver's insurance company. It is wise to avoid giving a statement to the other driver's insurance company until you have spoken to a skilled Charlotte motor vehicle injury attorney. At Arnold & Smith, PLLC one of our experienced Charlotte motor vehicle attorneys can advise you as to the best way to proceed after your car accident.

North Carolina car insurance companies hope to maximize their profits by paying out as little money in insurance claims as possible. You may think that the insurance company has your best interest in mind when they ask you questions about the accident and record your statement. However, it is wise to keep in mind that insurance companies work with their own best interests in mind. You do have a duty to speak with your own insurance company after an accident. However, you are not required to give a statement to the other driver's insurance company.

For example, on the night of a car accident, one of the drivers may suffer from back pain. If he gives the other driver's insurance company a statement the night of the crash, he might accurately state that only his back is injured. Within a few days, however, the shock of the accident may wear off. Five days after the motor vehicle accident, he might realize that he has a shoulder injury in addition to his back injury. Unfortunately, the insurance company will likely deny payment for treatment of his shoulder injury. They will justify their denial of coverage based on the driver’s initial statement that only his back received an injury.

Insurance companies frequently use drivers’ answers against them to minimize the amount of money they need to pay out. In some cases, insurance companies use recorded statements to support their decision to deny an insurance claim completely. For these reasons, we recommend speaking to one of the car accident attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC before speaking with your insurance company.

At Arnold & Smith, PLLC we often write letters of notification to insurance companies on behalf of our clients. We send a letter to the insurance company of the at-fault driver. The letter notifies the insurance company includes necessary information, such as:

• When and where the accident occurred
• The type and extent of our client's injuries
• Our client’s name and the contact information of our law firm

Our attorneys have significant experience advocating on behalf of our clients when dealing with insurance companies. We can write a persuasive letter of notification on your behalf and advocate for the best possible insurance settlement.

In the stress and shock after a car accident, it is easy to speak with a lack of mental clarity. Insurance companies hope that people will accurately or inaccurately admit fault to them. That is why they call drivers as soon as they can after an accident. It is wise never to admit fault when speaking to anyone about your motor vehicle accident. Insurance companies can use admissions of guilt to deny claim coverage.

It is also wise to avoid admitting fault when speaking to police officers. After police officers take statements at the scene, they write an official police report. If you admit fault at the scene of the accident, even if you spoke out-of-turn and did not intend to admit fault, your statements will appear in the police records. Insurance companies analyze police records and include them in the file for each accident. Thus, any admission of fault given to a police officer could be the reason your insurance company denies your claim.

You do have an obligation to speak with your own insurance company after an accident. However, you are not required to talk with the other driver's insurance company. If you need legal representation after your Charlotte car accident, contact our law firm to set up your appointment today.