Maximizing the money you can recover after a car accident may make a big difference in your ability to pay your bills, manage your medical needs, and even get your vehicle repaired after your accident. Follow this simple strategy to help maximize the compensation you can recover after your car accident and get the most money for your case. Our car accident lawyers will refer you to excellent physicians, take photos, get witness statements, and investigate the accident.
What’s in This Guide?
- Hire a Lawyer
- Gather Evidence
- Seek Medical Treatment Right Away
- Report the Accident With Your Attorney
- Keep Your Accident Off Social Media
- Never, Ever Say “Yes” to a Settlement Without First Talking to a Lawyer
- Patience Pays Off
Hire a Lawyer
Immediately hiring a caring and experienced lawyer is one of the most important things you can do when you want to maximize your car accident settlement. A lawyer knows the legal system, how insurance policies work, and how much compensation you may deserve for the injuries you suffered in your accident. Furthermore, a lawyer can help negotiate with the insurance company, investigate the accident, and even make sure that you have a solid idea of how much compensation you should expect.
Gather Evidence
If you want to maximize the compensation you can recover after an accident, make sure you take the time to gather evidence at the scene and immediately retain an attorney. You should make sure that you have the liable driver’s license and insurance information as well as the license plate number on the other vehicle and the car’s make and model. Your attorney will also get contact information from any witnesses who saw the accident, know what happened, and will testify on your behalf.
In the age of smartphones, luckily, collecting evidence is easier than ever. If you can, take pictures of:
- The damage to your vehicle
- Any injuries you sustained
- The damage to the other driver’s vehicle
- The scene of the accident, including any scenery that may have contributed to the accident
- The position of the two vehicles before you move them
You may also want to photograph the other driver’s license and insurance information, since that will make it easier for you to access that information in the future.
Seek Medical Attention Right Away
If you faced serious property damage in your accident, you may have suffered equally severe injuries–including injuries you might not recognize immediately. Adrenaline from the accident can delay the pain associated with serious injuries, including soft tissue injuries, deep bruises, and even greater trauma.
Don’t delay medical attention after a car accident, even if you think you’re fine. Instead, go straight to a local hospital for a full evaluation. Not only does your visit to a medical care professional help ensure that you’ll get the medical treatment you really need for your injuries, it helps provide evidence of exactly when your injuries took place, which may later prove essential to your car accident claim.
Report the Accident and Check Your Coverage
Always report any car accident involving significant property damage or any type of injury to the police. There are a lot of reasons why the other driver may not want you to report the accident. It might “take too long,” or they might be “worried about points on their license.” They may even promise you that they’ll accept liability for the accident when they report it to their insurance company.
If you do not report the accident, however, you may have a hard time proving who caused it. Evidence the police might use to establish fault may disappear. An immediate report, on the other hand, can help you collect the evidence you need to establish your right to file a claim.
After you leave the scene of the accident and police have given you permission to do so, check your personal insurance coverage. If the other driver does not have insurance, you may need to use your own collision or uninsured motorist coverage to take care of your car accident claim. If the other driver carries inadequate insurance, you may need to use your underinsured motorist coverage. Make sure you have the coverage you need and that you understand your policy. When in doubt, talk to your lawyer about your policy.
Keep Your Accident Off Social Media
In today’s always-connected society, many people are tempted to share accident photos and information on social media even before they leave the scene. “I need your thoughts and prayers!” “Look what happened today!” There’s just one problem: the other driver’s insurance company may use some of the information you share on social media against you. Sometimes, the wording used in your social media post (including your answers to friends and family members) may sound like you’re accepting partial responsibility for the accident. Other times, you may share information about your recovery that the insurance company uses to prove that you do not need as much compensation as you have claimed for pain and suffering or ongoing medical treatments.
Talk to your attorney about your social media use while you’re recovering from your accident and managing your personal injury claim. Your attorney may advise minimizing your social media presence as much as possible until your claim is finished. No matter how private your profile, once information has been shared on social media, it can be hard to take back–and you don’t want that content to mistakenly decrease the compensation you can recover after your car accident.
Never, Ever, Say “Yes” to a Settlement Without First Talking to a Lawyer
Insurance companies may contact you and offer a settlement. It sounds like the insurance company is just trying to get the compensation you need in your hands quickly. After all, you need those funds to help cover your medical bills, manage your current expenses, or start rebuilding your life after a serious accident. It will usually even seem like a good offer.
Further examination, however, often uncovers that the initial settlement offer issued by an insurance company does not really reflect the compensation the victim deserves for those injuries. It may not include compensation for all of your injuries and losses, or it might not reflect the pain and suffering you will undergo while recovering from your injuries.
Before you accept an offer, talk to an experienced car accident lawyer. A lawyer can go over the compensation you may deserve and make sure you understand what your car accident settlement should look like.
Patience Pays Off
Fast settlements often do not include the full compensation you really deserve for an accident. If you want to maximize the compensation you can recover, be patient.
A car accident investigation takes time. Your attorney may need time to look into the conditions that led to the accident. The insurance company may need more information about your injuries, your limitations, and the expenses you have faced. Not only that, you may need time to recover before you can even show the insurance company what your financial losses will really look like.
Patience pays off in car accident claims. A lawyer can help give you a better idea of what your car accident claim timeline should look like and how long you may need to wait for compensation.
If you suffered injuries in a car accident, don’t try to handle your claim on your own–especially if you want to get the most money possible out of your claim. Instead, contact Flora Templeton Stuart Accident Injury Lawyers to learn more about the compensation you really deserve. Our attorneys are available 24/7 and will travel to our injured clients who cannot come to us. With offices throughout Kentucky and Tennessee, we can get to you quickly after an accident. Contact us today for a free case evaluation and discuss your case with an attorney with over 45 years of experience.
