Because they are trying to lock your child into a story before the medical picture and evidence are clear. That call is not a favor.

The outcome usually turns on three things:

1. Which insurance company is asking, and what they can force. If it is the other driver's insurer, you generally do not have to give a recorded statement. They want sound bites they can use later: "He came out of nowhere," "She looked okay," "We don't know how fast he was going."

If it is your own insurer - like PIP, MedPay, or UIM - your policy may require cooperation, but that does not mean you hand over an open-ended recording the same day. In Washington, insurers still have to follow fair-claims rules enforced by the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Delay, misrepresentation, and pressure tactics can cross into bad faith.

2. The evidence from the first few days. Seattle cases rise or fall on early proof. Get the collision report, names of witnesses, helmet photos, bike damage, the exact intersection, and any nearby video from homes, stores, buses, or traffic cameras. If your child went to Harborview Medical Center, those records matter because they show how serious this was before an adjuster starts calling it "minor."

Do not repair, toss, or charge the e-bike if a defect, brake failure, or battery issue might be involved.

3. How fault gets framed under Washington law. Washington uses pure comparative fault. That means the insurer will try to pin a percentage on your child to cut what they pay. On spring and summer Seattle roads, they love arguments about visibility, speed, helmets, crossings, and whether the rider acted "unpredictably."

The deadline to sue is usually 3 years for personal injury in Washington, but waiting is how evidence disappears. For an injured minor, some deadlines can be different, but the parent's related claims may not wait the same way.