by winburnlawShould I Give A Statement To An Insurance Company If I’m Involved In An Accident?
Insurance companies frequently want to take statements from people involved in accidents. Their representation to the public is that they want to take statements to preserve evidence and investigate the accident. Sometimes this is the case but giving a statement also provides the insurance company with information that can be used against you at a later time.
Insurance companies are professionals at taking statements and asking the types of questions that are designed to prevent cases from being made against their insured (and themselves). If a statement is made voluntarily without legal advice it can sometimes hurt the case of the person giving the statement, no matter how good the motives are for the person giving the statement. It is always better to have legal advice so that there is an equal playing field in this type of circumstance. Call us for a free evaluation before you give a statement to any insurance company to protect your rights!
We handle cases all over the State of Vermont – in Bennington, Burlington, Brattleboro, Rutland, Woodstock, St. Albans, Montpelier, Manchester, Springfield, the Northeast Kingdom and anywhere else where there is jurisdiction in the State of Vermont.
If you believe you have an accident claim contact us for a free evaluation.
©Winburn Law Offices
by winburnlawI Like Insurance Companies – The TV Ads Are Funny – Should I Really Make A Claim Against Them?
Insurance companies spend huge amounts of money on advertising. They sponsor popular television shows where they have very likable and funny characters as their spokespeople – geckos that sing and dance and tell funny jokes and wise-cracking Flo immediately come to mind. However, when you make a claim, they are no longer “like a good neighbor” and you really are not in “good hands”.
Insurance companies are a business and the way they make money is by keeping the money and not paying it to claimants. To the extent that they can do this, their business will be more profitable. It is logical for a business to do this.
However, there is really more involved for claimants who are victims of someone else’s negligence should be treated better because they did nothing wrong and that is what insurance is supposed to be for. Insurance companies should also protect their negligent insured from being sued by properly paying claims – they should minimize a person’s misery from an accident if it was caused by people they insure. This rarely factors into an insurance companies’ evaluation of a bodily injury claim and would seem naive if someone in the insurance adjusting business actually made this point to another insurance company person. It is all a matter of dollars and cents and is answered by the question “how much do I have to spend on this case?” If an insurance company sees that it is in their financial interest to settle a case then they will settle it. If there are other factors involved (like will the claimant’s lawyer actually sue us based on past experience) make their decision based on that – not whether it is morally correct to do the right things and will sometimes they can delay a settlement or not settle it at all, to try to force the hand of the claimants and their attorneys.
If you believe you have an accident claim contact us for a free evaluation – if we take your case, we don’t get unless we get money for you!
©Winburn Law Offices