If You Were Hurt in A Car Accident Follow These Tips
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.
You Need to Protect Yourself
If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident, it is important that you take the steps to protect yourself:
Do not refuse medical treatment many times your injuries from a car accident will not be evident immediately following an accident. The adrenaline that is released during an accident can keep you from feeling the pain. Go get checked out.
Trade information with the driver but do not make statements at the scene of the accident. Any comments you make at the scene of the accident can jeopardize your car accident claim.
Do not speak to the insurance adjuster until you have spoken to a trusted car accident attorney.
Contac Laguna Niguel, personal injury lawyer as soon as you can.
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.
Be Cautious What You Say
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.
The Insurance Adjuster Is Not on Your Side
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.
One Last Thing to Keep in Mind
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.