Dos and Don’ts After an Accident

accident

Injured In An Accident? What To Do

You may wonder what to do if you’ve been in an accident.

  1. Get medical attention immediately if you’ve been injured. Your health is the most important thing in the world; without it, everything else in your life suffers. So rule number one is if you’ve been injured in a car accident, ensure you get treatment immediately.
  2. Make sure you, someone close to you, or someone you know reports the accident. It’s very important that law enforcement officials come and perform an investigation. In the course of that investigation, the law enforcement officer will determine who’s at fault.
  3. Find out the names of anybody who has witnessed the accident. Because you may later need those people to testify for you as to how it happened, and if it wasn’t your fault and the other person who caused the accident is also denying fault, then you may need to resort to calling these witnesses to provide aid to you in your case.
  4. Take photographs. You probably want to photograph the damage to your car, if there were any, and photographs of any injuries to your body.

The Importance Of An Accident Report

The most important piece of documentation you will need to get after an accident is the accident report.

The insurance company will require a copy of the report to help determine who was at fault and be held liable for the accident.

As the official record, this report will provide the foundation for your claim. If the insurance company does deny liability even though the accident report states otherwise, immediately contact an attorney.

3 Things To Avoid After An Accident

If you’ve been injured in an accident, there are three things you shouldn’t do:

  1. Don’t give the insurance company a recorded statement;
  2. Don’t give the insurance company a signed release that allows them to get your medical records, and
  3. Don’t let the insurance company trick you on your settlement.

Who Should Collect The Medical Records

Though many law firms make the clients get those medical records and bills themselves, it’s always better to let your attorney collect that information for you. They can send requests to all of your doctors and the places where you’ve received treatment, both before and after the accident, to have a complete picture of your before and after medical condition. Then, they will be in a better position to help resolve your case with the insurance company.

When Should You Settle Your Injury Claim

The advice that I’ll give to you is the same advice that I give to everybody, and that is, never settle your injury claim until you have either:

  1. Fully recovered from your injuries,
  2. Recovered to the point where you are as good as you will get.

These are the only two occasions where you settle your injury claim.

What Is Your Accident Claim Worth

There are some factors that influence the value of your case. Some will positively influence its value, while others will negatively influence it.

First and most important is the nature and severity of your injury. The more seriously injured you are, the higher the value of your case. 

Another factor is the permanency of your injuries. Again, if you have permanency in your injuries, your case will have a higher value than otherwise

Will Your Case Go To Court

Generally speaking, most cases get resolved without ever having to go to court.

The cases that ultimately go to court are those where there is either a genuine dispute as to who’s responsible for the harm done or a difference of opinion on what is fair.

Lawyers know what type of evidence will drive an insurance company’s decision. And ultimately, lawyers will help obtain fairness for their clients.

Searching for the Best Attorney

Hundreds of accident victims in our areas are scouring the internet looking for the best attorney for their cases.

  • Relying on Google search for “best accident attorney near me” is only the first step. But you need to look at a few additional things.
  • One of the most important things you need to look at is to check out their website and review the types of cases they handle and whether they handle injury cases.
  • Also, look at the reviews they have. Google reviews are one of the essential types of feedback that attorneys get, and make sure that the firm you choose can be trusted.
  • Look at what they have to offer. Do they provide you with free information? Did you get the answers you needed when you spoke with them?

How Can You Afford To Hire A West Virginia Lawyer

Work on contingent fee agreements.

If you’ve been injured and need to hire an attorney, you should know that most attorneys work on contingent fee agreements.

It means that payment to the attorney is contingent upon you making a recovery.

Tim Miley

About the Author

Tim Miley