Our Personal Injury Attorneys Highlight Mistakes to Avoid After a Car Accident

When you are involved in an auto accident, you may suffer painful and debilitating injuries. Unfortunately, many motor vehicle collisions result in long-term consequences to the health of victims.  Serious injuries such as dismemberment, disfigurement, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury and other serious injuries have a lifelong impact. Admittedly, no amount of financial compensation can give parents back the joy of watching their child's intellectual development or a husband the ability to hug a spouse. Nonetheless, the financial recovery obtained in a motor vehicle accident claim can provide the financial means to obtain the best medical care and to enjoy the highest post-injury quality of life possible.

The actions you take in the wake of a car accident can have a significant impact on your personal injury claim. Many people make critical errors after a motor vehicle collision that undermine their legal claim for compensation. Our experienced car accident attorneys have provided an overview of some of the key things to avoid if you have a pending personal injury claim arising out of an auto accident.

Beware of Social Media Networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media networks have become a popular way to keep family and friends informed about significant events and activities. There is no doubt that a traffic collision that results in you suffering significant injury would certainly qualify as a noteworthy event in your life. However, media reports are cropping up across the country about parties involved in litigation damaging their cases with their social media posts. Compromising pictures of you engaged in activity that appears inconsistent with your injuries can adversely impact your damage award. Posts that indicate you did not wear a seat belt or you were speeding could even provide a defense to liability. If you have a pending car accident claim, the best practice is to avoid posting or using your social network until the case has been resolved. Because potential damaging information on your social media pages might become subject to disclosure during legal discovery, you should talk to a personal injury attorney about this issue.

View Insurance Companies as Adversaries: The other driver's insurance company might contact you regarding your legal claim. Frequently, an adjuster will be the insurance company representative who contacts you to obtain background information or to ask questions about the accident. Personal injury victims often feel financial pressure to settle quickly because of mounting hospital bills, monthly expenses and other monetary hardships. However, an insurance company's financial interests are directly adverse to those of a personal injury victim. Any information you provide to the insurance company might be used to develop defenses to liability or to the amount of damages they pay you. Personal injury victims should refer inquiries by representatives of the other driver's insurance company to your personal injury attorney.

Do Not Neglect Medical Treatment: If you are like many people, you might not like visiting hospitals and doctors. However, motor vehicle accident victims should not delay medical attention even if the injuries experienced seem relatively minor.  To give just one example, if you have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or many other types of injury, there is a substantial risk of underestimating the severity of the injury. A collision is a traumatic event that can cause shock and emotional turmoil that makes it difficult to assess the seriousness of an injury. There also are many medical conditions that initially can seem minor but grow much more serious without medical attention. 

Avoid Providing Damaging Statements: When you are involved in an auto accident, you might well be shaken up by your involvement in a traumatic event. It is not uncommon for people to feel embarrassed or guilty about being involved in a crash even if the other driver is at-fault. Fault can be extremely difficult to determine, so you should be careful what you say. Even a simple statement indicating that you are sorry that the accident occurred might later be construed by the insurance company as indicating an admission of responsibility.

Talk to a Personal Injury Attorney Early: While some people might be inclined to take their time arranging a legal consultation, delays in seeking legal advice can be costly. There are many ways that an injury victim can endanger a personal injury claim by not obtaining immediate legal advice. An attorney will advise you regarding things to do and to abstain from doing to protect your legal rights. There also are many deadlines and procedural complexities involved in the civil litigation process, so prompt legal advice also can guide you through potential legal pitfalls and insurance company traps.

Prevent Evidence from Slipping Away: When you are at the scene of a traffic accident, the environment can be chaotic and confusing, but accident victims have a unique opportunity to gather evidence in the immediate aftermath of a car accident. At the very least, you should get the names and contact information of witnesses and the law enforcement police report number. Another important type of evidence that you might want to collect at the scene includes photographs of the vehicles, their relative positions, any injuries and the surrounding area.

Put Our Law Firm's Over 39 Years of Legal Experience to Work For Your Case!

If you have been involved in a car accident, you might be entitled to financial compensation. Our attorneys at Montlick and Associates have been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout all of Georgia and in the Southeast for over thirty years, including but not limited to all smaller cities and rural areas in the state.

No matter where you are located our attorneys are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.