Oftentimes clients are confused after they’ve been involved in a collision when the insurance company refuses to accept liability. The person at fault in a collision may be very apparent but the insurance company still withholds accepting liability. Frequently, the insurance company will not accept liability until they talk to their insured. If the other driver tells their insurance company a story about how the collision is not their fault, the insurance company may continue to deny liability. Why is all of this important? An insurance company will not pay anything on any claims until liability is resolved.

That means if your car is damaged, they will not pay to repair it, they will not pay the tow bill, they will not pay the storage bill, pay any medical bills or lost wages. Their refusal to pay any bills can create economic stress. If your damaged car is not drivable and the insurance company is refusing to pay for the repairs, you may now have transportation problems on top of your physical injuries. The insurance companies are not in a hurry to pay claims so they don’t care about the economic plight it causes for you.

Generally, the insurance company will want a recorded statement from you. They will ask for this after they’ve talked to their insured and have a version of the collision story, which may place blame on you or on someone other than their insured. Their recorded statement can ask questions slanted toward supporting the theory they are developing that their insured is not at fault in the collision. We typically advise against giving a recorded statement to insurance companies because typically it does not further your cause.