should you say sorry after a car accident?

What Saying “Sorry” After an Accident Could Mean for Your Alabama Injury Claim

Manners are engrained in us from the time that we’re born, so it’s no surprise that apologizing is many people’s first reaction when they’re involved in a car accident. “Sorry” doesn’t always mean “I did this and feel bad about it.” You might mean that you’re sorry it happened or sorry for the effect it will have on their life. However, if you apologize after a car accident, you can expect the car insurance company to take it the first way—and that could really damage your personal injury claim.

Learn more about why you should avoid apologizing after a car accident, and to discuss your injury claim in greater detail, call Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short at 334-821-3892.

It Makes You Sound Guilty

To start, apologizing at the scene of the accident can make you sound guilty. Many people will take it as you accepting blame and acknowledging that you did something wrong to cause the accident. Whenever you’re involved in an accident, you want to avoid accepting blame until every piece of evidence has been investigated and the facts have come to light.

Accepting blame prematurely may put you on the hook for medical bills, property damages, and other losses reported by the other party. Even if you feel horrible about the car accident, don’t apologize. You can express sympathy and be polite in other ways.

The Role of Contributory Negligence in Alabama

Alabama’s contributory negligence laws make this situation even more complicated. Most states still allow a victim to recover damages if they are partially responsible for the accident. They just limit damages for those who are 50% or more liable for the accident, or they decrease your compensation in accordance with your proportion of blame. That’s not the case in Alabama.

In Alabama, they apply the contributory negligence legal standard. This means that if the court finds that you are even 1% responsible for the accident, you can be barred from receiving any compensation. Your “sorry” can quickly become the reason you are unable to receive any compensation for an accident you didn’t even cause.

How Insurance Companies Will Use an Apology Against You

Everything you do during and after an accident will be analyzed by the other party’s insurance company, and they’re the people you really need to worry about. See, they’re not incredibly interested in whether or not their client is actually at fault. They are much more interested in figuring out how to pay less on your claim so they can protect their profit margins.

Insurers may use a lot of sneaky tricks to do this, and the first is to use your own words against you. If you apologize at the scene of the accident, you’re giving them a head start. They can claim that your apology is a sign that you knew you were liable for the accident, so you shouldn’t be coming after them for compensation now. The insurance company will already be looking for ways to dismiss your claim, so don’t give them anything extra.

What to Do Instead

Instead of apologizing, you can just be polite and handle the situation in a professional but distant way. You don’t want to be too emotional, even though your adrenaline is likely spiking during an accident. Limit your contact with the other driver to exchanging insurance and contact information. Save your side of events for when the police arrive.

There may be discrepancies between your story and the other driver’s story, but it’s not up to you to disprove their claims or prove that your story is true. That’s where your attorney will help. After your accident, make it a priority to get checked out by a medical professional. If you have any serious injuries, you want to get them treated as soon as possible. From there, your next step is to contact an attorney and let them handle the complicated legal aspects of your case.

Discuss Your Accident Claim with the Team at Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short

There’s no shortage of things to do after a car accident but hiring an attorney should be one of your top priorities. At Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short, we fight aggressively on behalf of our clients. Schedule a consultation with our team now by getting in touch online or calling us at 334-821-3892.

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