You must file an insurance claim after a motorbike accident in order to get reimbursement for the damages you suffered. Keep in mind that the insurance company is not on your side before you contact them. The objective of the insurance company is to minimize the amount that it pays out on your claim. That is, they can deny your claim and hold you accountable for the collision.
Please contact a Los Angeles motorcycle accident attorney if you want to help to file an insurance claim. Here is a list of things to think about before speaking with the insurance company after a motorcycle accident.
What Should You Know Before Discussing Your Motorcycle Accident Case With Your Insurance Company
- You do not need to offer a recorded statement.
After an accident, the insurance company is likely to give you a call, or you may have to contact them to make a claim. In either scenario, you must keep your rights under the law in mind.
You are not legally required to provide the insurance company with a documented statement. However, since recording phone calls has become standard practice for most businesses, there is an excellent probability that this is going to occur.
Retrace your decision to have the call recorded. The insurance company will try to terminate the call, but sometimes, you can continue without getting it recorded.
- Do not dive into unnecessary details.
You should not offer the insurance company additional details when discussing the accident. The insurance company might try to convince you to say anything damaging to your case by offering you open-ended questions. For example, the insurance adjuster might ask about what you did after the collision in order to find out if you received medical care.
The insurance company can try to take advantage of the fact that you delayed consulting a doctor as proof against you. The insurance company may try to argue that if your injuries were not severe, you would have gotten medical care right away.
- Do not apologize
Avoid accidentally admitting fault while talking with the insurance company as part of protecting your claim. Showing regret for the accident might be regarded as an admission of blame, even if you were not at fault for it.
- Never accept a settlement offer.
The insurance adjuster might present a settlement offer when you first contact the company after a motorbike accident.
The insurer will try to convince you that this offer is “the last one” you will get; therefore, you must accept it. This is false. To make sure all of your damages are reimbursed, your attorney can work with the insurance provider to negotiate a bigger settlement. You can lose money if you agree to a rapid settlement offer.