5 Things to Avoid After a Car Accident

A car accident can be a terrifying experience, and the aftermath can be incredibly stressful. In addition to dealing with painful injuries, you will also have the added headache of dealing with insurance companies whose primary goal is protecting themselves rather than you. In situations like these, it is important to put an experienced car accident attorney on your side who can fight to get you the fair settlement you need to recover from your accident.

Most people are aware of what they SHOULD do after an accident, including pulling over, exchanging insurance information, and calling an ambulance and/or the police if necessary. However, there are also some things that you SHOULD NOT do that are far less well known. In order to protect yourself and your claim, it is important to familiarize yourself with this information!

Here’s what you should avoid after a car accident:

1. Admitting fault. Even something as seemingly harmless as saying “I’m sorry” could be construed as an admission of guilt, which could end up costing you your claim. Avoid discussing anything that has to do with who caused the accident and just stick to the business of exchanging insurance and contact information.
2. Forgetting to document your accident. After an accident, you should take photos or videos of the scene of the accident, any damage to your vehicle, and any visible injuries. This can be valuable evidence to support your claim. Visual evidence from the photos can even help your attorney determine who was at fault for the accident based on the location of the damage on both vehicles.
3. Neglecting to see a doctor. Even if you don’t immediately feel hurt, it is important to seek medical attention after an accident. Symptoms of whiplash or other common car accident injuries may not present for days or even weeks after an accident, and the longer you wait to seek care, the more likely any latent injuries will worsen. It’s better to get checked out and be told you’re OK than to wait too long and suffer longer lasting consequences. Furthermore, if you wait too long to see a doctor, this may harm your personal injury claim, so get it taken care of and documented as soon as possible.
4. Giving a recorded statement to an insurance adjuster. Insurance adjusters are trained to find ways to pay as little as possible after an accident. One of the ways they find evidence to minimize or deny claims is to take recorded statements that they can then attempt to use against you later on. It is important to NEVER speak with an adjuster without a lawyer present.
5. Allowing an insurance adjuster to access your medical records. Similar to the above, insurance adjusters are very good at looking for ways to deny claims. If you grant an insurance company access to your medical records, they will be able to dig through your entire medical history to find evidence they can use to reduce the value of your settlement – even if what they find has nothing to do with your current injury.

If you have been injured in a car accident in Cherokee County, get in touch with a Woodstock car accident lawyer at Amanda Hall Injury Law. We have more than 50 years of collective legal experience, have recovered 45 million of dollars for our clients already, and have the financial and employee resources to go toe-to-toe with major insurance companies. You can trust that we have what it takes to deliver exceptional results!

For effective counsel that you can rely on, contact our firm today. We’re available 24/7 to offer you a free case review.