Auto accidents can result in injuries, which can lead to huge medical bills, lost wages and more. Fortunately, those who are injured in auto accidents can often recover damages by filing an insurance claim or a lawsuit.
However, there are several common mistakes people often make after being in auto accidents which can reduce the amount of money they can recover in a claim or lawsuit.
Avoid making these common mistakes if you’re in an auto accident:
Not Contacting Law Enforcement
Those who are in accidents in California are obligated to report the accident to the police if the accident involves injuries, deaths, or at least $1,000 of property damage. However, there’s another reason to contact law enforcement after an accident: a police report serves as proof that the accident actually happened. Insurance companies will have a harder time trying to claim your accident never happened if a police report has been filed.
Not Immediately Seeking Medical Attention
It is vital to immediately seek medical attention after being in an auto accident. For one, the adrenaline and endorphins flowing through your body after an accident can mask injuries. Those who are in accidents often don’t realize they’ve been injured for days or weeks.
In addition, the longer you take to seek medical attention, the easier it is for any insurance company to argue that something other than your accident caused your injuries. Insurance companies can also argue that your injuries must not be very serious if you didn’t immediately seek medical attention.
Not Dutifully Attending Follow-Up Medical Appointments
It is important that you attend all medical appointment follow-ups. Insurance companies can claim your injuries are not really that serious if you don’t, and use this to pay you less.
Posting On Social Media
Insurance companies and their legal teams will likely scour your social media accounts for anything they can use to pay you less for your injuries, so it’s wise to not post to social media until your claim is resolved. They are experts at using seemingly innocent social media posts against you, and they can even use newly-posted photos of you engaging in physical activity several years ago to claim your injuries are healing faster than you claim.
Talking With The Insurance Companies
Insurance adjusters do not have your best interests in mind. They have the profit of their employers in mind. Their employers train them to trick you into admitting fault for accidents so they don’t have to pay you for your injuries. They are experts at this kind of deception. It is easy to accidentally incriminate yourself while talking to insurance companies.
Don’t talk to the insurance companies after being in an accident. Instead, contact experienced personal injury lawyers like Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers and let them deal with the insurance companies for you while you focus on recovering from your injuries.
Jeffrey Nadrich
Jeffrey Nadrich is a nationally-recognized California plaintiff’s personal injury attorney. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Hastings College of the Law. He has successfully represented thousands of injury clients over the last 40 years.
