Getting into a car accident is always a terrible experience. Even minor fender benders can ruin your day. More serious accidents can end up completely changing your life in many different ways. Don’t let yourself continue to be victimized by a car accident beyond the initial incident. Protect yourself by avoiding these mistakes, which could negatively impact your car accident settlement.
Agreeing to the First Offer
When you are involved in a car accident, and another driver is clearly at fault, their insurance company will often try to get in contact quickly. Sometimes they will even call you before you get a chance to file a claim. The reason for this is that they are trying to catch you off guard. They will sometimes call you while you are still in the hospital. If they know that you have a valid accident claim, they are likely to make you a quick settlement offer.
Whatever amount they offer you on that initial call will be far below what your actual claim is worth. In order to try to keep from paying you a much higher amount later, the insurance adjuster will make you feel like the settlement they are offering is a limited-time deal and that you risk getting nothing if you don’t take it.
Do not fall for this ploy.
The insurance company is not operating from a position of strength in this situation. You are. The only reason an insurance company will ever make the first move in offering payment is if they know they are likely going to have to pay out far more otherwise.
Instead, politely decline the offer and end the call. You can even let the insurance company know that you will have your lawyer call them. That way, they are aware that you are not going to let them bully you.
Neglecting to Hire a Lawyer
When you are involved in a serious car accident, it is essential to have good legal representation. While you may be wary about the costs of hiring a lawyer, do not let that deter you. A competent car accident attorney will save you a lot more money than they will cost.
First of all, any reputable personal injury lawyer will charge you on a contingency basis. That means that if you don’t get paid, they don’t get paid. Also, there are limits on the percentage that a lawyer can charge when working on a contingency basis. You won’t be forking over half of your settlement payment to your attorney.
As a result of this payment structure, you won’t pay too much. Plus, since these professionals are far more qualified to handle your case than you are, you will likely get a much higher settlement. Even after taking out your lawyer’s fees, the money you take home will most likely be far higher than any settlement agreement you would have been able to negotiate yourself.
Insurance companies will likely try to talk you out of hiring a lawyer, attempting to convince you that doing so will simply complicate things. Don’t let them trick you into going it alone.
A Los Angeles car accident lawyer will also take over all communication with the insurance company, which will protect you from making the majority of the mistakes on this list.
Giving a Recorded Statement
Insurance companies will try to get you to give a recorded statement about the accident. Politely decline and hang up the phone. The fewer words in general that you exchange with the insurance company, the better.
They will make claims that they solely need the statement for helping to determine liability. However, the real reason they want it is so they can comb through what you said and look for anything they could possibly use against you.
You are not required to give any sort of statement to the insurance company. So don’t.
Releasing Medical Records
The insurance company will likely ask for you to release your medical records to them so that they can see the extent of your injuries. This may sound innocent enough, but it is actually a quite sinister plot. When you grant the insurance company access to your medical records, they will have access to all of your medical records.
They will look through everything in your medical history in an attempt to find a reason that they might be able to deny your claim. The insurance company will particularly seize upon anything that they feel suggests a pre-existing condition, which would have contributed to your injuries, diminishing your claim.
Posting on Social Media
Many people share everything on social media these days. Since people make posts about how they are sitting on their couch eating a bag of chips, it should come as no surprise that people also post about car accidents. After all, a car accident is a bit more exciting. However, a simple post on Facebook could end up costing you thousands of dollars.
Searching through social media sites has become one of the primary tactics used by insurance investigators when they are trying to deny, or at least devalue, a claim. Even a post that you feel is completely innocuous can end up deeply damaging your case.
Following an accident, it is best to stay off social media altogether until your claim is settled. Ask friends and family to please refrain from posting about you as well. If your social media addiction is too high to avoid this trap, at the very least, you should make sure that all of your privacy settings are at the highest level. This may not fully protect you depending upon a judge’s ruling, but it often will.
Don’t Ruin Your Future Over Stupid Mistakes
When you are involved in a major accident, your future will be profoundly affected. While it is possible to get back on track, doing so will often require money. Don’t let your life get dragged down by medical bills that you can’t afford. An injury is not only going to come with immediate expenses, but it could have many long-term costs associated with it as well, like a diminished future earning potential.
Hiring a qualified lawyer is your best way to avoid problems and move on with your life.
