One of the first things you will be asked to do after an injury is to give a recorded statement to the insurance company representatives or your employer’s representatives. This may seem like the most innocent thing to do, but can actually have a negative impact on your maritime injury claim.

Typically, a worker may find insurance representatives turning up to meet him at the hospital and asking for his account of events on the day of the accident, so that they can “determine liability”. As a worker, you are likely to find yourself being goaded into giving an account that is favorable to the company. This may take the form of coaxing you to revise your account, or nudging you to “remember” events that never really happened, “forget” facts about the accident or other such tricks. For instance, if your account includes a malfunctioning piece of machinery, you can expect company representatives to coax you to doubt if it was your own mishandling of the equipment and not the malfunction that caused the accident.

Needless to say, it is a bad idea to give a recorded statement to the company without having expert advice on your side.  That doesn’t mean that you must not give a statement at all. It only means that the statement should not be drafted to compromise your rights.  In other words, make sure that you seek the counsel of a maritime lawyer before you sign a statement.

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