Personal Injury Quick Start Guide
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, then it is imperative that you take the proper steps to strengthen and preserve your overall claim. With this personal injury Quick Start Guide, we hope you gain valuable insight on what to do immediately after an accident.
Before we dive into our Five Quick Tips, it’s important for you to have some background information regarding the insurance industry and how they operate. Insurance companies have an inherent conflict of interest when it comes to accident victims. They are somehow expected to represent the best interests of the insured party (their client), but they are first and foremost concerned with preserving their own profits.
What you have to remember is this: insurance companies will look for any excuse to minimize the value of your claim and to pay you the least amount possible for your injuries. Insurance companies are just waiting for you to make a mistake regarding your claim, and they have plenty of traps set out. The last thing they want is for you to hire an attorney to help you avoid those traps, which is why they will often use trickery and deceit to try to prevent you from contacting an attorney.
Our goal for you is just the opposite. We want to make sure you obtain the greatest amount of compensation for your injuries. We want to empower you to maximize the value of your claim. Below is the recipe for a successful personal injury claim. Follow these steps closely! This is what insurance companies don’t want you to know…
- AT THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT: Call the police and demand that they arrive to the scene if a party has been injured in the accident. A police report will strengthen your injury claim significantly. Next, gather as much evidence as you can. Witnesses, video, pictures, etc. are all forms of evidence that could help you win your accident claim. It is quite common in accidents to have both parties blaming each other and both parties denying liability. Thus, having evidence of the accident could mean the difference between you winning or losing your claim.
- MEDICAL TREATMENT: If you are injured, quickly seek medical treatment for your injuries. Do NOT expect the insurance companies to help you arrange medical treatment. Do NOT expect the insurance companies to return your calls or to answer your questions about injuries. Prompt medical attention for your injuries is important to protect the value of your claim. Every day that goes by without medical treatment could minimize the value of your claim.
- CONTACT AN ATTORNEY FIRST: Prior to discussing anything with the insurance company, it is imperative to speak to an experienced personal injury attorney who will protect your rights and guide you in the right direction. Insurance companies spend millions of dollars to train their adjusters on how to minimize the value of a claim. Our goal is the exact opposite — we will work diligently with you to help maximize the value of your claim and tell you exactly what steps to take.
- DO NOT PROVIDE RECORDED STATEMENTS: When the insurance company calls you, you may think that their representative is just kindly asking you for the facts relating to your accident. However, what they are really doing is looking for inconsistencies in your statement to use against you and to possibly deny liability for your claim. You must decline any request to record your statement — you have the right to do so.
- STAY ORGANIZED: You will likely receive medical bills, ambulance bills, and receipts for prescription medication, among other documentation. You may also have to take time off work and you should keep meticulous track of all hours missed from work and any information that would help support a lost wages or lost income claim. It is important to stay organized so that your attorney may obtain the absolute maximum value for your injury claim.
So, are you ready to take action?
CALL OUR EXPERIENCED PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS TODAY! You don’t pay us anything unless we recover a settlement for you. Call 1-949-338-4472 for a free and informative consultation.