5 Things Every Car Accident Victim Should Do
If you've been injured in a car accident that wasn't your fault, it's important that you do a few things as soon as possible in order to protect your rights.
Here are five things every victim of a car accident should do:
- See a doctor. If necessary, go to the hospital. Don't delay for several days thinking that you will get better. Those days give the other driver's insurance company a chance to say you might have actually been injured after the accident and are only trying to pass off the injury as accident-related for the money.
- Follow the medical advice of your doctor, as long as it is reasonable. If it isn't, get a second opinion. If you don't follow your doctor's advice -- for example, you skip out on physical therapy -- you could find yourself in trouble for not mitigating your own damages. In the same way that the negligent party has a legal duty to pay you compensation for your losses, you have a legal obligation to try to reduce your losses as much as possible.
- Obtain a copy of the police report of the accident. Usually, the information on where to call is on the form that the officer gives you with the other person's insurance information. Call and ask for a copy of the full accident report. Police reports can sometimes help during the settlement negotiations, especially if they note that the other driver admitted to being distracted, was tired, was arrested for drinking and driving and so on. They can also provide important facts like the names and contact information of witnesses that you didn't even know existed.
- Do not talk with the insurance adjuster until you have decided how to proceed. Instead, refer the insurance adjuster to your own insurance company in order to work out how your bills will be paid. Keep in mind that everything you say to the adjuster is either recorded or written down. Your casual answer to, "How are you feeling?" might be, "Fine. You?" However, the insurance adjuster could twist that around to "Victim said that she/he felt just fine," and use it to question why you didn't say anything about your injuries.
- Do consider talking to a car accident attorney, like Cok Kinzler PLLP, in order to protect your rights. Most accident attorneys offer a free initial consultation and do not require any sort of payment up front if they decide to take your claim. Hiring an attorney not only can help you get a fair settlement, it can take a lot of stress of you -- the attorney's office will deal with the insurance adjuster in the future.
Being in a car accident is stressful, but if you follow these easy steps, you'll get through it and get back to your life as quickly as possible.
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