Attorney Tully
I was rear ended in a car accident. I had to undergo back surgery because of the accident. The insurance company for the woman who hit me wants me to give them a statement. Should I?
Each case is different of course but my general rule is NOT to give the insurance company a statement.
Why?
Because you do not want to give them 2 chances to question you about the accident.
They are entitled to get a detailed statement from you anyway if you file a lawsuit.
By giving them a statement BEFORE you file suit, you are telegraphing to them the details of your case.
Then when you are required to give your deposition after you file suit the other side is going to have a preview of what your testimony will be.
They will use the statement you initially gave them to their advantage.
I have found there are very few advantages to voluntarily providing a statement to the wrongdoer’s insurance company.
Niceness does not matter to the insurance company.
You do not build up any goodwill with them by providing a statement to them.
And you can actually harm your case and the value of your case if you say something wrong in your statement.
In the opinion of Pittsburgh wrongful death, car surgery and slip and fall attorney Bernie Tully the drawbacks of giving a statement to the other side FAR outweigh any potential benefits to doing so.
If the insurance company wants to know how an accident occurred they can a get a copy of the police report.
The way that Pittsburgh wrongful death car accident and slip and fall attorney Bernie Tully has been dealing with the statement question is this way: I tell the adjuster I will not allow them to record your statement.
However I will provide them with a summary of what your testimony would be.
This procedure will avoid them being allowed to cross examine you in the original statement.
Plus they cannot use what we provide them against you at trial.
If you like the way we approach car accident death cases and injury cases, you should call me at 412-281 8700 regarding your case.
Remember the call is free. Thanks for reading.
And how do you think the Penguins will do in the playoffs?
BERNIE the attorney