Being in a car accident can be a traumatic, stressful event. Your top priorities should be seeking medical treatment for any possible injuries and ensuring everyone involved is safe. However, there are also certain legal steps you must take soon after an accident if you want to protect your rights to fair compensation.
Many injury victims jeopardize their car accident lawsuits by making seemingly harmless—yet crucially damaging—mistakes in the days and weeks following a crash. These errors can tank your chances of recovering damages to cover medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and more even if the other driver clearly caused the collision.
Don’t let simple blunders ruin your opportunity to be made whole again financially. Avoid the six most common mistakes that can undermine your car accident injury claim.
Mistake #1: Failing to Seek Medical Attention Soon After the Accident
One of the biggest mistakes you can make after a car accident is not getting medical attention soon enough. Even if you don’t think you were seriously injured in the crash, the adrenaline rushing through your system could mask subtle injuries like concussions or soft tissue damage. These types of injuries get worse over time without proper treatment.
If you wait days, weeks, or even months to see a doctor, the insurance company will argue your injuries aren’t accident related. The adjuster will claim you would’ve gone to the ER or doctor right away if you were truly hurt. This makes it much harder for your attorney to prove damages.
Seeing a medical professional immediately starts important legal paperwork like accident and doctor’s reports. These documents record your injuries while the details are fresh in your mind and before symptoms worsen. Always get checked out after an accident, even for minor discomfort. Tell the doctor exactly what happened so it’s documented.
Mistake #2: Failing to Document Evidence at the Accident Scene
In the chaos after a collision, people often neglect to collect critical evidence. If you’re physically able, take photos of the damage to all vehicles, conditions that may have caused the accident like uneven pavement, weather conditions, street signs, traffic patterns, and more. The best evidence comes from the scene itself before the cars get moved.
Also, get contact information and insurance details from the other driver(s). If there are witnesses, get their names and phone numbers too. Police may interview bystanders first in their reports. Save text messages, social media posts, voicemails, or anything else related to the accident while it’s still available.
All this documentation will bolster your claim that the other driver caused the crash. Without evidence, it becomes your word against theirs.
Mistake #3: Admitting Fault or Accepting Blame
Insurers are counting on you admitting an accident was partly or fully your fault. Common tricks claims adjusters use are sympathizing about the crash and then casually getting you to make admissions of guilt. Don’t fall for it!
Even saying something innocuous like “I’m sorry” can be construed as accepting blame. Avoid making any statements about the accident other than basic details and injuries to anyone but your attorney. Details you provide can and will be used against you.
Let your vehicle accident lawyer handle communications with insurers. They know what to say (and what not to say) to protect your claim. Admitting fault ruins your chances of receiving fair compensation.
Mistake #4: Failing to Hire an Attorney Soon Enough
After a car wreck, injury victims often delay consulting a road accident lawyer to avoid legal fees or because they trust the at-fault driver’s insurance company. This gives the insurer time to build a case against you long before you start building yours.
Insurers have whole claims departments dedicated to minimizing payouts to injured people like you. Don’t wait until you realize the insurance company isn’t on your side. By then, it may be too late.
The best car accident attorneys start working immediately with accident investigators, doctors, witnesses, insurers, and other experts. Do not leave money for your medical care, lost wages, pain and suffering on the table by trying to handle legal matters on your own. Contact a lawyer as soon as possible after the accident occurred.
Mistake #5: Not Following Your Doctor’s Treatment Plan
Failing to follow prescribed medical treatment causes problems in several ways. First, you likely won’t heal as quickly or completely without proper care. Second, insurers can use your noncompliance against you, arguing that your injuries can’t have been that bad if you skipped treatment.
Judges and juries decide damage awards based partly on how seriously someone was hurt. If treatment records show cancellations or no-shows, it appears as though the injuries weren’t significant enough to warrant discipline in getting better. Don’t jeopardize your payout by deviating from your doctor’s recommended plan.
Mistake #6: Oversharing About the Accident on Social Media
It can be tempting to vent about a collision or share injury updates after a traumatic car accident. Social media allows people to communicate instantly with friends, family, even strangers about life happenings. However, imprudent posts can provide ammunition against your case.
Comments you make on social platforms are discoverable by insurance company defense teams. They look for evidence showing you either weren’t that injured or you are exaggerating now. Photos and comments about physical activities you do post-accident undermine damage claims if they show abilities beyond expected limitations.
Even sympathetic words from friends like “hope you feel better soon” imply you told them the injuries were minor so you’d heal quickly. Firsthand accounts of pain and suffering shared at doctor visits contrast poorly with cheerful social posts. Don’t jeopardize your case over something that seems harmless in the moment.
Be extremely judicious with anything accident or injury-related you put on the internet before resolving your claim. The optics of living it up while filing lawsuits for disability and losses justifiably raise credibility issues. Save reflections for private journaling or conversations only with trusted confidants—not social media.
Avoid Common Mistakes, Maximize Your Injury Claim
You have legal rights to compensation if you were hurt in a car crash caused by another driver’s negligence. Don’t jeopardize your claim through simple yet serious mistakes many accident victims make without realizing. Being injured is hard enough without adding financial devastation too.
Protect your right to maximum damages in your unique case. Call our expert attorneys today for a free consultation. We’ll review what happened and give clear advice tailored to the details of your accident. With an experienced lawyer guiding you each step of the way, you can avoid missteps and have confidence you will recover full and fair compensation.
The aftermath of a car collision is chaotic. As medical professionals help heal your body, let legal professionals help heal your finances. Don’t go through this alone. You deserve an attorney who knows how to maximize your claim and get justice.
Let the attorneys at What’s My Case Worth fight for you today.
