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Getting into a car wreck sucks. Let’s face it. Your day is destroyed. Your car is destroyed. You and your loved ones may be seriously injured. There is nothing enjoyable about the experience at all.
Now, you have to start dealing with other people’s insurance companies. Your insurance company. Taking your car to get repaired. Having to go to the hospital.
The list is never-ending as are the headaches that you will be faced with.
Fortunately, you are reading this (hopefully, before or right after you got into a car wreck) and will know exactly what you need to do next, so you are not burdened with what to think about and how to approach the next few days and months ahead.
- Get Treated
The first thing that you need to do is get treated. Hopefully, you did that already right after your wreck. If you did not, it is highly recommended you go see a doctor to document your injuries right away. That is necessary because the insurance companies love to do two things: 1) they love to say that only truly injured people get treated and 2) they love to point to other reasons you are injured so the more time you leave between your car accident and getting treated the more chances there are of something else happening to you (G-d forbid) that they can blame for your injuries.
- Get A Police Report
If you are not feeling that injured immediately after your wreck and are able to do so, stay at the scene of the accident and wait for the police to come (you can call them if no-one else has already). You will want the officer to come and make a report as to what happened. If you were the one that was not at fault in the wreck this is the most important report you can get to start your case. If it is in your favor it immediately shifts the conversation with the insurance company from who is at fault to how much are you owed. That’s a huge win right of the bat.
- Go to All Doctors Appointments
Insurance companies not only love saying that only truly injured people get treatment, they also love to say that only truly injured people continue to get treated. They love to use this argument even though so many intervening factors can happen in your life that will make you want to stop treating: a) it hurts to go to treatment b) it is time-consuming and you are a working mom c) it doesn’t seem to be helping you physically, etc. There are many reasons why people start and stop treatment but insurance companies have a lot of leverage when they see gaps in treatment and use it to their advantage at court that you are not really that injured. Why? Because they can.
Find a Reputable Personal Injury Firm
The easiest thing for you to do right after the wreck would be to go find a good PI lawyer to represent you. She will know all the right doctors to send you to and will know how to handle the insurance adjuster, who, by now, has likely already offered you a small sum of money in exchange for you to release all claims against the insured and insurance company (even though you don’t know the extent of your injuries). Imagine that? Settle before you even know how badly injured you could be! They are ruthless. A great PI lawyer will know how to handle them and know how to get you healthy and get you treated.
In conclusion, getting into a car wreck does suck. But it sucks even less if you follow the advice above after you get into one.
If you have questions about a car accident case contact a personal injury lawyer for more information and the next steps.
