Getting into a car accident is stressful, and while you are fighting through the adrenaline and trying to decide what to do next, it is easy to make mistakes that can come back to haunt you. Knowing what to do before you find yourself in an accident is one of the best ways to ensure that you have the information that you need to make sure that you are setting yourself up for success if you need to file a personal injury lawsuit or seek an insurance claim, but even knowing what to do is not a guarantee that you will do everything perfectly.
Whether or not you have followed each step perfectly, hiring a personal injury attorney is one of the most important things that you can do to build the strongest argument possible for a fair settlement. Working with a lawyer is an important step to take in order to give yourself a good chance of getting the money you deserve.
Mistake No. 1: Not Seeing a Doctor
All too often, someone decides that they will not see a doctor for their “minor” injuries, and will instead just suck it up and move on with their lives. While this sounds like the honorable thing to do to save the other driver a bit of hassle, it puts you at the risk of being on the hook for hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of medical care down the road. See a doctor as soon as possible, both to get the care you need, and also to establish a record of your injuries.
Mistake No. 2: Not Filing With Insurance
The responsible driver in an accident may offer to pay for the damages to your vehicle out of pocket so that they can avoid having their insurance premiums go up, or getting some points on their license. While it might seem like a friendly thing to do, it also means that you are not able to get the money you actually deserve if you are injured. If you collect money that you are entitled to from another driver’s insurance policy, you are getting the money that you need in order to move forward from their error.
Mistake No. 3: Not Calling the Police
Call the police no matter how insignificant you believe that your accident may be. If you decide that you need to file an insurance claim later on, but do not have a police report documenting the specifics of your accident, then you will find that you will have a difficult time trying to get any sympathy from the insurance company. If you can’t prove the information that they request, they will not pay you what you deserve.
Mistake No. 4: Admitting Guilt
Even something as innocuous as an apology after an accident can be interpreted as an admission of guilt, so it is important that you do not make any statements at the scene of an accident that may implicate you as partially at fault. DO, however, inform the police if the other driver was engaging in any behavior that you believe either contributed to, or completely caused, the accident.
Mistake No. 5: Not Hiring a Lawyer
One of the biggest mistakes that victims of all sorts of personal injuries make is not hiring a lawyer as soon as they should. Filing an insurance claim is simple, which is why many people do not think they need the help of car accident lawyers; however, the moment the insurance company is aware of your injuries, they will take action to identify every possible reason o limit your settlement.
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Thanks for the reminder as to what to do.
As I recall, if you call the police from the scene of a fender bender and there are no personal injuries, the police will not want to investigate and ask that the drivers exchange DL and insurance card info.
I had an accident in November, someone turned left into me, I had a camera and failed to take pictures. I might have been able to record lady driiver who hit me in the two seater truck had a passenger and large dog, or that her insursnce id was fake, only an AAA membership card. As it was I had to go to tje junkyard after it was towed to in order to get good pictures of the damage and retrieve personal effects. The only good thing was Mercury paid for car damage within four days.