Were you hurt in a car accident? What do you do next? First, the first thing you do is get medical attention, the next thing you do is call a car accident law firm. Whether you were at fault or not, you need to be sure that you are protected.
There are some key mistakes people make after they were hurt in a car accident that you can avoid by following these simple guidelines. You want to be sure you follow these steps to protect your rights.
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident, it is important that you take the steps to protect yourself:
Many people make the mistake of refusing medical treatment at the scene of the accident or making statements like “I am fine”. You may not be fine. You may actually not start feeling the pain of the accident for a couple of days because of the shock of the accident and the adrenaline can keep you from realizing how injured you are.
Refusing medical treatment or stating that you are fine at the scene of the accident can negatively affect your car accident claim down the road. Insurance companies are looking for reasons to deny car accident claims, don’t give them the fuel that they need to deny yours.
When the police are taking your statement, of course, you should cooperate, but do not argue with the other driver or make statements about responsibility to the other parties involved. You are only responsible for providing your insurance information and speaking to the police at the scene.
You will likely hear from an insurance adjuster within days after the accident. The adjuster will be friendly and ask if they can record a statement about the accident. You should move forward with two things in mind. The adjuster does NOT work for you. The adjuster does work for the insurance company.
The adjuster is tasked with saving the insurance company money, and if that means offering you a very low settlement to be done with the case, that is what they will do. Be sure that you have an attorney on your side that is not afraid to go up against the insurance company for you.
Insurance companies have attorneys. They have attorneys on staff that are there all day to help keep costs down. You need to even the playing field and ensure that you have a personal injury attorney on your side. Call today to get the representation you deserve after you or a loved one were hurt in a car accident.