After an accident, there are certain tasks and duties you have to ensure that you’re performing. You must make sure that you are avoiding mistakes too. A mistake could mean less compensation for your case if you decide to sue. Any personal injury attorney will give you the same advice whether you want to take the case all the way to court or settle with the other driver’s insurance company. Even if the accident wasn’t your fault, you could lose your case because of a careless mistake.
Leaving the Scene
You should never leave the scene of an accident. It doesn’t matter how minor you think the accident is. There are a few reasons to stay at the scene. It’s illegal to leave the scene of an accident. You don’t know what kind of injuries the other driver has, and they might need assistance. Lastly, the damage to your vehicle or the injuries you sustain can be worse than you first thought. You have to exchange information with the other driver.
Becoming Angry and Abusive
It’s scary, confusing and frustrating to become the victim of a car accident especially when it’s someone else’s fault. It will ruin your car and cause serious injuries, so it’s understandable that you’d become angry. It’s not advisable to lose your temple and start screaming or threaten the other driver. This turns it around and makes you the unsympathetic person in the scenario. It’s important to stay calm after an accident, wait for the police to respond and head to the hospital if you’ve been hurt.
Delaying Medical Treatment
After an accident, you might feel banged up but relatively fine. In a few hours, you could be sore and tender. Days later, you might find that you actually have serious injuries. If you believe you might be injured, it’s always best to seek medical treatment immediately. Allow a doctor to determine if you have serious injuries instead of insisting that you are fine. If there’s a large gap between when you had the accident and when you saw a doctor, the other driver’s insurance company might question the injuries.
Talking to the Adjuster
The adjuster might try to compensate you for the smallest amount possible for the damage to your vehicle as well as your injuries. It’s important that you don’t speak to the adjuster regarding compensation negotiations. Allow the personal injury attorney that you hired to do his or her job and speak to all representatives of the insurance company. The attorney will have experience dealing with insurance company adjusters, and will know whether you’re getting a good amount of money for compensation or not.
Neglecting Procedures
Whether they’re medical procedures like physical therapy you need to complete or paperwork that needs to be filled out, there are items that you’ll have to follow up on for your claim. If you neglect to complete any procedures, it could jeopardize your right to compensation. The other party’s insurance company can claim that you’re not injured because you didn’t see your doctor in a timely manner. They may close the case if you don’t respond to requests for information too. In that case, you can forward those requests to your attorney since you shouldn’t be answering questions from the insurance company.
Any of the previous mistakes can make it hard for your attorney to get the money you deserve for your claim. It’s unfortunate, but the slightest misstep can void your entire claim for compensation. Your attorney would like to get you the highest amount possible without necessarily heading to court. If you make any of these mistakes, it might take a judge to make a decision on what you’re entitled to get for your injuries.
Comments are closed here.