After an auto accident, you may be shaken up, but you still need to make sure that you are thinking clearly. After an auto accident, make sure that you don't accept responsibility for the accident, make sure that you list to the doctor and don't ignore his advice, and be wary of accepting the first settlement offer that you get.
#1 Don't Accept Responsibility for the Accident
After an accident, you are going to want to be careful with your words. You should not accept responsibility for the accident. That means when you talk to the police, you should not say sorry or that you wish you had done something different. Only state exactly what happened.
When you talk to the other driver, once again, do not say sorry at all. Just give them your information. Do not express any sympathy at all; it could be taken as you accepting responsibility for the accident.
This is true when you talk to your insurance provider as well. If necessary, just call your insurance provider and let them know there was an accident, and let them know that you will follow up at a later date. It can be a good idea to have your auto accident lawyer on the phone with you when you talk to your insurance company. Your attorney will help make sure that you share the right information with your insurance company.
#2 Don't Ignore Your Doctor's Orders
If you want any hope of getting a settlement for personal injuries that you sustain during a vehicle accident, you need to first get medical help, and second you need to follow the doctor's orders.
That means if the doctor tells you to not work for a week, you need to call in and not go to work for a week. If the doctor says that you can't lift anything, you can't spend the weekend working in your yard.
Many insurance companies will investigate and see if you are "faking" an injury by seeing if you are failing to follow the doctor's orders. What you see as toughing it out could be seen as faking it by the insurance company, so follow the doctor's orders.
#3 Don't Accept the First Settlement
Finally, the first settlement is seen by the insurance company as a starting point for a negotiation process and a great deal for the insurance company if you accept it. The first offer is generally going to be the lowest amount that the insurance company thinks they can get away with offering you.
Always show any settlement offer to your attorney and make sure that the settlement offers covers all your lost wages, medical bills, and changes you have to make to your life. If you don't like a settlement offer, work with your attorney to come up with a counter-offer.
Share25 September 2018
Hello everyone, my name is Nina Zoulon. On this site, I am going to share information about hiring a personal injury attorney. I will also talk about my journey to procuring those services for myself. When I was a beginning driver, I was on the road constantly. During one of those excursions, a driver going the opposite direction crossed the centerline and plowed straight into my vehicle. I was trapped by the dashboard for hours while firefighters helped me escape. After the accident, the other driver tried to blame my inexperience on the accident. I hired a lawyer to help me fight the case and I won. I would like to discuss personal injury attorney services in more detail to help other people win their cases in court. Thanks.
