What to Do After a Car Accident: Important Considerations To Protect Your Rights!

Knowing what to do—and what not to do—after a car accident can make a significant difference in the compensation you receive for your injuries. Victims need as much compensation as possible. The average injury-related medical bill is over $40,000. Most group health plans exclude injury-related costs, and most families cannot possibly pay this bill out of pocket.

Car crash-related hospital bills are high partially because the injuries are so severe, and partially because victims can’t tolerate aggressive medical procedures. Broken bones are a good example. The extreme force of a wreck often shatters arm and leg bones. Since these victims sustain other injuries as well, like head injuries, doctors must spread reconstructive bone surgery over several procedures. This necessary approach means a longer hospital stay and a bigger hospital bill.When you know what to do after a car accident, your Los Angeles personal injury lawyer gets a head start on your case. Usually, a fast start is a key to a successful outcome. This successful outcome is maximum compensation for your economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.

Contact a Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer

If you ignore everything else on this list, please don’t ignore this item. The average attorney-negotiated car accident settlement is 3.5 times higher than the average non-attorney-negotiated settlement.

A lawyer is not the Lone Ranger. A Personal injury attorney in Beverly Hills, California heads a team of investigators and other dedicated professionals. Furthermore, attorneys have professional partnerships with doctors who focus on injury-related conditions.

In a perfect world, car accident victims wouldn’t need lawyers. Can you imagine a world without lawyers? In this perfect world, tortfeasors (negligent drivers) would accept responsibility when their driving errors cause vehicle collisions. But we don’t live in a perfect world.

Don’t Talk Much

In fact, don’t say anything at all to the other driver’s insurance company. The company doesn’t record calls for “quality and training purposes.” The company records calls so its lawyers can go through the call transcript, find damaging statements, and use them against victims in court.

Telephone adjusters are basically junior lawyers. They always seem like affable types, like Flo from State Farm or that guy with the ostrich in Liberty Mutual commercials. But these adjusters know how to extract damaging admissions without the victim’s knowledge.

Also, say as little as possible to other people, like emergency responders, the other driver, and friends and family.

When emergency responders ask questions, always cooperate, and always answer as narrowly as possible. If your answer is more than three words, that’s too long. Additionally, never apologize to the other driver. Most people apologize to express sympathy. But an insurance company lawyer can twist an apology into an admission of liability.

Friends and family want and need to know your medical status, but don’t go into details. The more times you tell the story, the more confusing those details become. On a related note, paint with broad strokes when you report the accident to your own insurance company, for the reasons outlined above.

See a Doctor

The tragic story of Allman Brothers bass player Berry Oakley illustrates the need to see a doctor immediately following a car accident, even if you “feel fine.”

In 1972, Oakley was in a motorcycle crash in Macon, Georgia. He told emergency responders he was okay and got a ride home with a friend. About a day later, an undiagnosed head injury killed him.

Apropos of nothing, Oakley’s crash happened almost one year to the day after, and about three blocks away from, a similar crash that killed bandmate Duane Allman.

The point is that adrenaline masks pain. Only a California personal injury lawyer can evaluate your claim’s legal merit, and only a doctor can determine the extent of your injuries, if any. Moreover, when victims delay medical treatment, insurance company lawyers often later argue that the victim’s injuries weren’t that bad.

Most people decline medical treatment because they “feel fine,” as discussed above, and/or they don’t want to incur a large hospital bill. Don’t worry about the big bill thing. Attorneys usually connect victims with doctors who charge nothing upfront.

Collect Evidence

Many advice columns put this tip at the top of the list. However, most vehicle collisions cause such serious injuries that victims are in no condition to take pictures, talk to witnesses, and otherwise collect evidence. Furthermore, you don’t need to expend energy performing tasks that a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer takes care of later.

However, collecting evidence after a low-speed fender-bender is usually a good idea. These accidents could cause serious injuries, like whiplash. Collecting evidence gives an attorney a coveted head start and also helps victims feel like they contributed to their own cases.

Consult our experienced car accident lawyers today!

Knowing what to do after a car accident jumpstarts your claim for damages. For a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney in Los Angeles, contact the Law Offices of Eslamboly Hakim. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters. Get a free consultation today!