Car Crash Don'ts - what NOT to do after a car accident:
If you were just in a collision, never do the following:
1.) DO NOT accept any settlement offer from the other driver or an insurance company without first consulting your doctor and your lawyer.
Even minor fender benders can result in physical injuries and complex damages.
To protect yourself, your health, your future, and your family, always get checked out by a doctor and consult your attorney. If you don't, it will be too late to try to recover for injuries that linger or take a while to manifest or unforeseen damage and bills.
2.) DO NOT talk about your accident at work or post things on Facebook.
No matter how innocent your status update or how simple your comment may be, you should know that your words can always be used against you.
Insurance companies and attorneys routinely look on social media sites to find ways to get out of paying. And insurance companies have been known to contact friends and coworkers of injured victims to ask about their injuries.
Even if your friends have your best interests in mind, not everyone will truly understand the full extent of your injuries.
An offhand comment that you ‘are doing great’ or ‘seem totally fine’ can be enough for insurers to deny your claims.
Don’t let a co-worker inadvertently ruin your chances for a full recovery. Keep the details of your crash to yourself and let your lawyers talk for you.
3.) DO NOT presume that calling a lawyer means you are facing a nasty courtroom battle:
Contrary to what you might hear on TV, not all lawyers just want to file lawsuits. And don’t assume that by calling a lawyer, you are punishing someone for an honest mistake, making a mountain out of a molehill, or that you are feeding into some money-hungry legal scheme.
Don’t confuse popular media with what happens after a car accident.
Our legal system relies on there being two sides to every story, with lawyers on both sides telling those stories.
For car cases especially, it is essential to have someone familiar with the legal complexities of automobile insurance to be able to tell your story about your injuries and damages fairly – you can be sure the other side isn’t going to.
At NB&W, we regularly consult with people who have been hurt in car wrecks, with no charge and no obligation to hire us; calling us only means that we listen to what happened and we answer your questions.
If there is a legal issue you are facing, we can tell you how we can help. Then you choose how to proceed.
Click here to read more about how we can help you.
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