Even a “minor” crash can leave you feeling stressed out about getting your car fixed and obtaining medical treatment for your injuries. If you suffered devastating injuries like traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, or serious fractures in a more serious crash, you may feel completely overwhelmed and not sure what to do first. What you don’t want to do is make an inadvertent mistake that could jeopardize your right to the compensation you deserve from the negligent driver.
Don’t Make These Common Car Accident Victim Mistakes
As you take steps after your crash, your goal should be to protect your legal rights and obtain the best settlement possible. Here are some common mistakes other crash victims have made that you want to avoid:
Failing to call the police.
Even if it is inconvenient to wait, you always want to contact the police and have a police report completed. The police report and the officer’s observations can provide you with valuable information regarding the cause of the crash, any tickets issued, and contact information for all drivers, passengers, and witnesses to the crash.
Not seeking prompt medical care.
Some injuries—like traumatic brain injury, back injuries, or internal bleeding—could take days or weeks for symptoms to appear. You still want to go to the emergency room or see a doctor soon after your crash to not put your health in danger and to not give the insurance company a reason to argue your injuries were not that serious. Be sure to tell your doctor all of your symptoms.
Not contacting an attorney promptly.
If you do not contact an experienced car crash attorney soon after your wreck, you could miss important details and deadlines, say something the insurance company can use against you, or make decisions that can hurt your settlement.
Giving a recorded statement.
You are not required to give a recorded statement to the negligent driver’s insurance adjuster. You should never agree to this without first consulting with an attorney. You could say something inadvertently that the adjuster could use to deny your claim or reduce your compensation.
Preserving evidence.
Unless you and your passengers are all too injured to do this, one of you should take pictures of the crash scene and your injuries as well as obtain the contact information of the other driver, any of his passengers, and any witnesses to the scene.
Exaggerating your injuries.
You should never be untruthful about the extent of your injuries and how they affect your day-to-day life with your doctor, your attorney, or in testimony. It can hurt your doctor’s and attorney’s ability to help you, and you could reduce your credibility as a witness—vital to maximizing your settlement.
Hopefully, you have not made any of these mistakes. But if you have, you have not ruined your case against the negligent driver.
Have You Been Injured In A Texas Car Accident?
If you've been hurt in a Texas car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.485.8888 to schedule your free consultation.
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