Your employer carries workers’ compensation insurance (in most cases), and if an employee gets hurt, it’s the insurance company that pays benefits. The insurance company, therefore, hopes that you don’t get a lawyer and that instead you do what they say. You can expect them to ask for a recorded statement. They might try to tag along to your doctor’s appointments. And if you say no, they might imply that your benefits are at risk if you don’t go along with these requests.
The truth is that you are entitled to benefits regardless of whether you give a recorded statement, and your insurance adjuster is not allowed to attend your doctor appointments unless you consent. In fact, you should say no to both of these things.
The purpose of the recorded statement is to get you to inadvertently say something that hurts your case. If you express any doubt about how you got injured, it might give them something to go on and deny that your injury is work related. As for the doctor appointments, don’t let anyone from the insurance company try to direct your treatment.
The insurance company’s goal is to save money by paying you less. Or by paying nothing at all. We don’t mean to sound paranoid, but we’ve seen it happen time and time again. If you hire an attorney who knows what they’re doing, they’ll handle all communication with the insurance company, including informing them that you will not be giving a recorded statement.
Talking to the insurance company is not going to help you, even if you are completely honest (and we would never suggest being anything other than honest). It’s just that they know how to manipulate a situation to their benefit.
We are workers’ compensation attorneys who help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.
