A motor vehicle accident has the potential to alter your life in the short and long term. Even if you don’t suffer any injuries, you’ll still need to work closely with your insurance company. However, if you are injured in the crash, you could face a long recovery stage that impacts you for months or years to come.
It’s important to know exactly what you’re doing when filing a car insurance claim. Here are three common mistakes to avoid:
- Providing a statement: You don’t want to provide any type of state, recorded or written, until you review your policy and understand your legal rights. And remember, you don’t have to give the insurance company permission to record your conversation.
- Accepting the first offer: This sounds like a great way to push the process forward and put your accident in the past, but you could be missing out on compensation that’s owed to you.
- Signing a release or waiver: An insurance company may push you to sign a release or waiver, knowing that if you do so it will work in their favor. Don’t sign anything until you know exactly what it is. Furthermore, you may want to obtain legal advice before putting pen to paper.
Your car insurance policy is a contract, meaning that your insurer has no choice but to provide the benefits you’ve been paying for.
If your car insurance company continues to fight you every step of the way after an accident, take a step back to review your situation and implement a plan of action. You have legal rights and protecting them will help you receive the compensation due to you.