What You Should Not Do After An Accident
The minutes, hours and days after a motor vehicle accident may go by in a blur. You are suddenly dealing with a traumatic, potential emergency situation. How do you make sure that you are taking steps to protect your rights, especially when the stress, pain and other problems may prevent you from thinking clearly?
Engaging a personal injury lawyer in your claim from the outset can be vital to your success. Talk to an attorney at Valrico Law Group to arrange your free initial evaluation.
What You Need To Know About Your Insurer
Insurance companies are gigantic businesses that want and need, to make a profit. When you are involved in an accident, many insurance companies will go to surprising lengths to try to limit the damages they pay you. The less they pay you, the more money they make at your expense. Learn what not to do after an accident. The following are actions you should avoid to help limit the effectiveness of the insurance companies’ tactics:
Don’t Talk To The Other Driver’s Insurance Adjuster Or Provide A Recorded Statement Without Having An Attorney Present.
The other driver’s insurance company may want you to give a recorded statement or just “talk with you” to get your version of the facts. It does not really care about your version of the facts; it is trying to get you to say something it can use to limit the amount of money it will have to pay you later. Do not give it that opportunity.
You have no legal or ethical obligation to talk with the other driver’s insurance company. Contact our attorneys at Valrico Law Group to learn your rights and better protect yourself and your potential recovery.
Don’t Give A Written Statement.
For the same reasons that you should not talk to the insurance adjuster or give a recorded statement, you should not provide the other driver’s insurer with this information without an attorney reviewing it first. No matter how friendly the insurance adjuster may seem, believe us, he or she is not your friend. Contact our lawyers at Valrico Law Group to learn your rights and better protect yourself and your potential recovery.
Don’t Release Your Medical Records To The Other Person’s Insurer.
Insurers will try to find evidence of any potential malady you might have had – even from your childhood – not just those related to the accident. They do this in an effort to find a preexisting condition as a way to try to reduce your potential recovery. You can protect yourself from this type of behavior with help from Valrico Law Group.
Don’t Accept An Injury Settlement Without Consulting An Attorney.
You do not know how the injuries you suffered are going to affect you years from now, and insurers know this. They will often try to get you to settle your case for a small amount, knowing you are not represented by an attorney.
If the insurer wants you to sign a release, the payment you get from the company at that time will likely be the last compensation you ever receive for your injuries.
Do you know if your injuries will cause you to lose time from work in the future? How long will you need physical therapy? The cost of future medical care and prescription costs? Your ability to enjoy the same hobbies and activities you did before the accident? Will the injuries someday potentially keep you from earning a living?
We can help you get the answers to these questions and can help you recover what you will need now and down the road.
Don’t Just Agree To Let The Other Side Buy Your Car As A Property Settlement
Your car is evidence of the damages and trauma that you experienced. If the insurer buys it, it will likely be destroyed, especially if it was totaled. You may not have even considered having it examined by experts or having proper photos taken of it to use as evidence in court later.
At Valrico Law Group, we know the right steps to take after a crash. Let us teach you what those steps are and how to ensure the protection of your rights after an accident.
Representing West Central Florida In Personal Injury Cases
If you’d like to schedule a free initial evaluation with our firm, contact us in Tampa, Florida. Call 813-433-0331 or send us an email.