3 Mistakes to Avoid After a Car Accident in Kane County
Navigating life after a serious car accident can feel overwhelming. You might have a to-do list that seems endless. You might be trying to figure out how to get the time you need off from work to recover. There is a constant stream of follow-up medical appointments for you to keep track of. On top of that, the insurance company will not stop calling when all you want to do is rest and heal. The whole time, you are in pain and not up to doing the daily activities you are used to doing. Many car crash victims must rely on others to help around the house or with childcare duties.
During this chaotic and tiring time, it can be extremely easy to accidentally make a mistake that could impact your ability to make a full financial recovery from the driver who caused your accident. Enlisting an attorney to handle your claim can be very helpful for a number of reasons
What Common Mistakes Could Affect My Claim?
There are a few very common types of mistakes that car crash victims make. Unfortunately, a misstep could ultimately reduce the amount you can recover from the responsible driver. Your best option is to call an attorney almost immediately after the crash. An experienced personal injury attorney will be able to help you avoid potential pitfalls that could hurt your case. In general, you should not:
- Talk to insurance companies - The best thing you can possibly say to the other driver’s insurance company is “talk to my lawyer.” Keep in mind that when you get a call from insurance, the person on the other end of the line is trained for this. They may attempt to trick you into saying something that could hurt your case, like “I am okay.” It is much better to have a trained attorney deal with these calls.
- Miss follow-up care - Even though it might be a literal pain, it is best that you go through with all the follow-up care your doctor recommends. Failing to attend follow-up appointments or treatment like physical therapy can later be used against you, to show that you were not really that injured.
- Put up social media posts - Social media has become one of the primary ways that people communicate what is going on in their lives to family and friends. Making a post might be the easiest way to update everyone on what happened and how you are doing, it is usually best to keep any discussion of the accident off social media until your case settles. It is easy to inadvertently post something that your opponent can twist and use against you.
The sooner you contact a qualified attorney after your accident, the easier it may be to avoid common pitfalls and preserve your claim
Source:
https://www.policygenius.com/auto-insurance/should-i-talk-to-the-other-insurance-company-after-an-accident/