What to Know About Giving a Recorded Statement for a Work Place Injury Claim
If you get injured while working an oilfield job and want to file a claim, your employer may ask you to submit a recorded statement to help with the investigation and process to deem your injury “compensable.”
You should be aware that you are not required to give a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster and that companies often use these to find a way to limit your compensation or outright deny your claim.
In certain instances, however, giving a recorded statement of the incident may help to strengthen your workers’ compensation claim. Still, you need to be careful about what you say to your employer or to the insurance adjuster, as they can twist your words and make it appear as if you solely are responsible for your injury.
Protect yourself from the schemes of your employer and their insurance company by consulting the highly qualified oilfield accident attorneys at Lapeze & Johns. We can help to ensure that you make a solid statement that is not used against you.
If you are being asked to give a recorded statement for your workplace injury claim, then please consider the following information.
How Insurance Adjusters May Attempt to Trick You
A skilled insurance adjuster will ask you a series of questions during which they may attempt to lead you into answering in a manner that makes you appear responsible for the accident. For instance, they may try to pin the fault back on you with remarks such as, “It sounds like you may have been working at a really fast pace, ” implying that you may have been negligent in the procedure.
Aside from attempting to undermine your claim through these types of verbal means, they may also attempt to:
- Persuade you to visit a specific doctor who will “help” them prove that you are not injured.
- Persuade you NOT to hire an attorney.
- Understand your financial situation so that they can provide you with limited compensation, knowing that you are in need of financial assistance.
- Draw information from you about previous health conditions so that they can fault your current injuries on your past experiences.
- Make you sign release forms or other documents that may limit your ability to obtain compensation for your injuries.
- Take a recorded statement while you are in the hospital, still in pain.
- Convince you that a recorded statement is required to make your claim.
Avoid discrediting your own account or downplaying your injury by being agreeable. Also, avoid disclosing personal information as adjusters will be sure to use to prove discrepancies in your statement.
Tips to Help You Protect Your Claim
Before talking with an insurance adjuster, you should seek out the guidance of a qualified workplace injury attorney who can help you to formulate a strong personal statement. Remember to keep answers straight and to the point.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing your statement:
- Always tell your complete account of events.
- Be honest and do not exaggerate.
- Never admit fault.
- Do not discuss your injuries with the insurance adjuster.
- Do not assume that the adjuster is your friend.
- Never talk about pre-existing conditions.
- Always remain calm and polite.
- Make sure to take notes and identify who you are speaking to.
- Do not accept any settlement offers.
If you have any questions about your recorded statement or concerns about the insurance company, contact the expert Houston oil field accident attorneys at Lapeze & Johns for support in getting the compensation you need to recover from your workplace accident.
