I was involved in an accident offshore and the insurance company wants me to give a recorded statement - What should I do?
After an offshore injury, the insurance company will probably want
to take a "recorded statement" from you. The insurance company will
tell you they are trying to "investigate your claim" and "determine
liability" and they need your recorded statement "for their file."
The insurance company will try to convince you it is in your best
interest to give a quick recorded statement. They will say something
like "just tell us what happened" so they can "make an offer" on your
case.
It is a bad idea to give a recorded statement to the insurance company unless you have your own independent attorney involved.
Why?
Because the real purpose of a "recorded statement" is so the insurance
company can trick you into saying something that will hurt your case or
allow them to avoid responsibility for paying your claim.
The
insurance company and their adjusters are skilled at "investigating"
the case in such a way that it either allows them to avoid
responsibility entirely or significantly reduce the amount of your
claim.
The bottom line is that if you were injured at sea or injured offshore, and the insurance company starts
trying to talk you into giving a recorded statement, carefully consider
not giving a recorded statement without your own independent legal
advice. Otherwise, you may be falling into an insurance company trap.