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Our recommendation is no, you should not. Don’t go on record for the insurance company after a slip-and-fall accident.
The insurance company wants you to believe that they’re trying to speed up your case. In reality, they are not doing it for your benefit. In the worst-case scenario, the insurance company may use something you said on record against you later, reducing your settlement or even denying your claim.
Handling insurance companies yourself is not the best route to a fast settlement. Instead, put your case in the hands of the experienced slip and fall attorneys at “ The Fast Firm,” Gould Injury Law. Our founder, Robert Gould, once worked for an insurance company and has trained our legal teams to counteract their tactics. Additionally, we understand how to accelerate slip and fall cases so you can get the settlement you need as fast as possible.
Before you talk to an insurance company, talk to one of our tenacious slip-and-fall accident lawyers about how to get a fast and fair settlement. Arrange a free consultation by calling 888-WIN-FAST or filling out the contact form on our website.
What “Going on Record” for the Insurance Company Means
If an insurance company asks you to go on record for them, they’re asking you to give a recorded statement of how your slip-and-fall accident occurred. While this might seem innocent enough, you are under no obligation to do this. The insurance company may try to make you feel as though you are, but legally-speaking you are not.
For example, an insurance adjuster may call you up and sound very sympathetic about what happened. Then, after asking if you are happy to go on record, that person may start the interview right away. First, however, think about what is being asked of you for a moment.
The insurance company has given you no time to prepare and think about what to say. When you speak solely from memory, it’s very easy to misspeak, yet whatever you say will be recorded and go on record as your statement of events. If you accidentally contradict yourself, forget an important detail, or misremember something, it will remain on record throughout your case.
Why the Insurance Company Wants You to Go on Record for Them
To understand why the insurance company wants you to go on record for them, you need to remember their agenda. They have one goal – to pay you as little as possible in compensation. If they can pay you nothing, that’s even better for them.
Common insurance company tactics
To achieve their goal, the insurance company of the other, potentially liable, party needs to demonstrate that their client is not liable for the accident. One of the best ways to do this is by trying to prove you are liable instead. Alternatively, the adjusters may try to use your own words to demonstrate that your injuries are not as serious as you claim.
During the interview with the insurance company, they may use complicated questions to try to confuse you. They hope that you will say something that will detrimentally affect your case.
If you go on record for the insurance company, their attorneys will scour every word of your statement, looking for anomalies. They may take statements out of context or read meanings into them you did not intend. They will look for anything they can use to make it seem like you are admitting liability.
Another tactic insurance companies use is to start a friendly discussion with you about how you’re feeling. They may claim to be “checking in” and ask for updates on your recovery. If you say you’re not too bad or you’re feeling fine, that could come back to bite you. The insurance company’s attorney may claim your injuries are not severe enough to entitle you to the compensation you have requested.
The effect of pain on memory
After a slip-and-fall accident, you will be in pain and coming to terms with your injuries. One study on ScienceDirect states that persistent pain can result in memory loss.
So there is no worse time to have an interview forced on you than after an accident. If the insurance company asks you to go on record when you’re in pain and feeling under pressure, it’s very easy to say something you later regret.
The impact of TBIs on memory
The CDC reports that falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI) hospitalizations. If you hit your head during your fall and suffered a TBI, your memory could be impaired for some time. According to the Mayo Clinic, even a mild TBI can result in memory and concentration problems.
If you suffered a concussion or other brain injury during your slip-and-fall accident, this could affect your ability to give a clear statement at this time. So rather than handling this on your own, talk to a compassionate slip and fall attorney who will be 100-percent on your side.
Come talk to Gould Injury Law in a free consultation session. In your own time, you can explain what happened in a relaxed environment. If our attorney takes on your case, he or she can handle all discussions with the insurance company on your behalf.
How to Respond to Insurance Company Questions
Insurance companies are very skilled at applying pressure and making you feel under obligation to answer their questions. However, always remember that you have no legal obligation to talk to their adjusters at all. Rather than making your case go faster, this can slow it down.
We recommend you respond with a firm “no” when asked to go on record or answer any questions about your injuries. Instead, refer the adjuster to your slip and fall attorney, who can handle all discussions with the insurance company for you and get results fast.
Getting Justice in Slip and Fall Cases
It might be tempting to accept an insurance company’s settlement and not have to deal with them any longer. Yet regrettably, slip-and-fall accidents can cause serious injuries with long-lasting consequences. The CDC notes that 1 in 5 falls causes a serious injury, including broken bones and head traumas.
After a slip-and-fall accident, your expenses can quickly add up. These could include:
- Doctor’s visits
- Medicine costs
- Physical therapy bills
- Lost earnings
If your injury leads to a long-term condition, your expenses may be even greater. For example, you may require:
- Adaptations to your home
- Caretaker support
- Long-term physical therapy
Calculating damages
Serious injuries can also impact your ability to provide for your family. You may no longer be able to do the work you did before or enjoy family life to the same extent. If you work with a qualified slip and fall attorney, though, he or she can calculate the full extent of damages you need to rebuild your life.
Resist the temptation to accept a lowball offer, which may not be sufficient to cover your actual needs.
Resist insurance company pressure
Insurance companies may try to pressure you into believing that your case will drag on for a long time if you do not accept their offer. They hope you’ll become impatient or you’ll be put under pressure from bill collectors and decide to settle quickly.
If you entrust your case to the personal injury attorneys at Gould Injury Law, we will go above and beyond to obtain fast results for you. We understand you need compensation fast. Therefore, if you hire us, we will do everything possible to accelerate your claim.
Let Your Slip and Fall Attorney Handle the Insurance Company
We, the slip and fall lawyers and other team members at Gould Injury Law, spend our professional lives dealing with insurance companies day in and day out. We know every tactic in their book and how to respond to them.
While our passionate attorneys fight with everything we have for their clients’ interests, we do not have the same level of personal emotional involvement as you do. So you can rest assured our legal team will not fall for the high-pressure tactics insurance companies use. Instead, we will stick to the facts of your case and fight for a fair settlement.
Our slip-and-fall accident attorneys work in the area of premises liability law. We handle accident cases that happen on someone else’s property. If you don’t have experience with these types of cases, establishing liability can be tricky, especially if more than one party is potentially liable.
Your slip-and-fall accident lawyer will build a strong case to prove:
- Duty of care: The property owner/tenant had a duty of care toward you
- Breach: That party’s actions or inactions breached their duty of care
- Cause: That party’s actions or inactions were the cause of your injuries
- Damages: You suffered losses and are entitled to damages
The opposing counsel will try to prove that your case does not meet these four legal points. If you go on record for the insurance company, they could try to use your testimony against you.
Trust Our Dedicated Personal Injury Lawyers
At Gould Injury Law, we pursue fast settlements for our clients by building strong cases. We dig deep, and will never stop asking questions until we’ve discovered the most robust legal avenues to pursue on your behalf. You can trust us to apply this high level of grit and determination to your case from the first phone call right to the day you receive your settlement check.
Our aggressive approach has yielded outstanding results, and fast. For example, we obtained a settlement of $177,750 for one slip and fall client who suffered a broken ankle that required surgery. Our case results show that you can trust us to fight tenaciously for your rights, whatever you have been through.
We believe in aggressively pursuing your claim at every stage to try to get you as much compensation as possible as fast as possible. We work on contingency, so there are no fees to pay until we secure compensation for you.
Your journey to a fast settlement starts with a conversation with one of our slip-and-fall accident lawyers. Call us at 888-WIN-FAST for a free consultation, or fill out our contact form, and we’ll get back to you fast!