Truck Accident Lawyer
You may think you know the drill after a truck accident: if they’re anything like car accidents, you swap information with the other driver, get a police report, file your insurance claim, and try to get fair compensation. Rinse and repeat. However, no two vehicle accidents are the same. With trucks, you are often left significantly more injured and you may be facing more serious property damage. Speaking with insurance is also not something you should take lightly. While you will need to be in contact with insurance regarding your claim and a settlement offer, this is not something you should do alone. A lawyer, like a truck accident lawyer from a trusted law office like MartinWren, P.C. knows that speaking with insurance–yours and the other driver’s insurance–can be complicated.
Things To Avoid Saying
When it comes to speaking with your insurance agent, there are certain things you should and shouldn’t say so that you do not jeopardize your truck accident claim.
- Making the call. The first thing that can hurt your truck accident claim is choosing not to call them at all. You may think you are not responsible for the accident, that you don’t want your insurance rates to spike, or that you will be filing a claim with the other party’s insurance instead. Don’t avoid calling your insurance company simply because you don’t know what to say. You should check your contract to determine what your legal obligations are regarding speaking with them. If you don’t call them, you might face increases in your premium or cancellation.
- You should not apologize to your insurance agent. You might feel like you can speak more freely with your insurance company (as opposed to the truck driver’s insurance). However, it is still crucial that you understand what you should and shouldn’t do. Do not apologize. Even if you know you aren’t the one who caused the accident, you may still feel a sense of responsibility or sorry that the whole thing occurred. Do not apologize under any circumstances.
- Avoid telling them “I’m fine.” Whether you don’t realize you have injuries yet or want to downplay them, avoid doing this. You can tell them that you will seek treatment from a doctor or that you are still undergoing treatment. It is impossible to know the severity of your injuries immediately following an accident and injuries may show themselves in the hours or days following your accident.
- Don’t overshare. It can be tempting to overshare what you are going through or you may feel obligated to respond to their questions. However, it is important that you don’t share every detail of your recovery and what your doctor’s treatments are yet. Wait until you work with your lawyer. Your lawyer may wish to be with you while you are on the call and will have reasonable answers to these questions.
When you are ready to file an insurance claim and need help speaking with insurance agents after a truck accident, reach out to a law firm you can rely on.