If you’ve been in a car wreck, you know that it can be a traumatic experience. The aftermath of the crash can be just as bad, especially if you’re struggling to pay for repairs or medical bills. Thankfully, there are some steps you can take to help mitigate the financial damage. In this post, we’ll outline a few ways to get your life back on track after a car wreck.
Step 1: Be Nice to the Other Driver. A person yelling at someone else even if they are in the right just leaves them looking like a jerk. Especially if it’s recorded and potentially put in front of a jury. Remain calm and firm. Get the other person’s information and wait for the police to arrive at the scene to make an accident report.
Step 2: Get an Attorney. As much as you would want to handle it on your own, it’s much advisable to talk to an attorney. Attorneys are trained to understand how to advocate for others and can best represent your interest against the at-fault driver and their insurer.
Step 3: Don’t Speak to any Insurer (Even your own). As much as an insurance adjuster will be friendly on the phone, they are NOT your friend. They alongside any person working in an insurance company have a vested interest to protect themselves. Any information you provide to them about your property damage or your injuries is helping them to pay out the cheapest claim possible to you. Insurance companies love to insure as many people as possible. However, they will work hard to not give you your money’s worth. Treat them like police officers. Don’t speak to them without an attorney present. In this case, let the attorney do all the talking with insurance companies. The attorney will be trained to speak to insurance companies in a way that preserves the maximum dollar value for your recovery.
Step 4: Go to your appointments. Whenever you are in a car wreck, you have a legal duty to tend to your injuries and try to heal as best as you can. In this case, whether it’s with your provider or a provider offered to you by your attorney, always attend your appointments. Juries don’t take too kindly to people that complain of being in pain but don’t do a thing about it. Going to your doctor or pain management provider helps you physically and financially in the long run when it comes time for a jury to render a verdict in your favor.
Step 5: Be Patient. The lifespan of a case can stretch out from days to weeks to months to even years. There is a lot of work leading up to a potential trial that must be done. Your attorney will be hard at work in preparing for your case. They will be at your corner and fighting for your well-being. Trust and support your attorney and things will work out in the end. In the meanwhile, go to your appointments, do physical therapy, and spend quality time with your family, friends, and loved ones.
For further questions, please check our website or contact one of our Attorneys, at PLGLitigation@patellegal.com