When you are injured in a car accident, you can become overwhelmed with everything that you must deal with after the accident. In addition to dealing with the physical pain and emotional stress of being injured, you must also deal with the financial strain that a car accident can place on your family. It is easy to make mistakes that can hurt your accident claim. Below are the three most common car accident claim mistakes that people make and how you can avoid them.
Accident Claim Mistake Number One: Failing To Seek Medical Attention
If you wait to seek medical attention, you are risking your health and your chance of recovering compensation for your injuries. In order to recover compensation for injuries, you must prove that the other driver caused the accident and you were injured as a result of the accident. Unless you see a doctor, you cannot prove you were injured in the accident.
By failing to see a doctor right after the accident, the insurance company for the other driver will argue that your injuries were not caused by the accident. To protect your health and your accident claim, seek medical attention as soon as possible after a traffic accident.
Accident Claim Mistake Number Two: Trying To Settle The Accident Claim On Your Own
The insurance company for the other driver would like nothing more than for you to represent yourself. At the very least, the insurance adjuster will pressure you to provide a statement and sign a medical release before you meet with a NoLA car accident attorney. The insurance adjuster knows once you meet with an attorney, the attorney will advise you not to provide a statement or sign a medical release until the attorney reviews everything. Therefore, the insurance adjuster works quickly to get as much information from you as possible to use against you later in your case.
If possible, the insurance adjuster will try to convince you to accept a settlement offer very early in your case. The adjuster knows an attorney will advise you to wait until you have fully recovered before discussing settlement offers. Therefore, do not discuss settlement offers with an insurance adjuster until after you have met with an experienced car accident attorney.
Accident Claim Mistake Number Three: Failing To Hire A Car Accident Attorney
Do not hire just any attorney — you want an attorney who handles traffic accidents. You need an attorney who has experience dealing with insurance companies on a regular basis. The insurance company for the other driver does not want you to explore your legal options. Do not let the insurance company have an upper hand by failing to consult an attorney.
Have You Been Injured In A New Orleans Accident?
If you have been injured in a traffic accident in New Orleans or the surrounding area, contact our office for help. The NoLA personal injury attorneys of The Olinde Firm take most cases on a contingency basis; therefore, you have nothing to lose.
Contact our office at (504) 587-1440 or 1-800-587-1889 to schedule a free legal consultation.