Being in a car accident, even a relatively minor one, can be stressful and overwhelming, especially if you are unfamiliar with what you should or should not be doing. Whether you are dealing with medical procedures and bills related to this crash or whether you are just trying to get insurance to reimburse you for the cost of repairing your vehicle, you might have no idea how you are going to get through the next few weeks. Here’s what you need to know:
Keep track of your medical treatment.
Whether you have to go to the ER or whether you simply make an appointment with your doctor to have a small abrasion or bruise looked at, you need to keep meticulous records of any treatment you receive and how much it costs. Luckily, the facilities you go to will keep their own records and it is completely free and easy to get copies of those records. It’s also important to keep track of the days you might have had to take off work, any of your normal activities that you’ve had to avoid or remove from your life all together, and how any injuries might have otherwise affected your life.
Take pictures.
Try and find some pictures of your car before the accident and then make sure to take pictures of the damage from the accident. Your insurance company (and any courts that might get involved in the case) will want to see the before and after pictures of your car so they can determine how much damage was done by the accident. Your insurance company will likely do this, but make sure that it is going to be done and that you can get a copy of the valuation. If you don’t think they have given you the correct value, you can always hire your own evaluator. Make sure to tell the adjuster that you don’t agree with their evaluation and that you want an arbitration if you think they have low-balled you. It’s important that you do not talk to just anyone about this crash, as you might accidentally say something that could be used against you, without meaning to. For example, if you say that you “feel sorry” for the other party in the crash to an insurance company representative, in a court of law, they might use this to try to prove that you were responsible for the accident. If you’re not sure who you can talk to or what you are allowed to say, refer all insurance adjusters, agents, and representatives to your lawyer. Unless the case is very cut and dried (it obvious that one party was entirely at fault, both insurance companies are in agreement, and there are police documents that back up that fact without a shadow of a doubt), you might want to consider hiring an attorney. Many attorneys who work in this sphere have a contingency fee policy, which means that they only get paid if you win damages or choose to take a settlement. If you are in physical pain or emotional distress over what has happened, it is critical that you seek help for these issues, even if you do not think they are that serious. Small problems that are a result a car crash can balloon into much bigger and scarier issues if they are not dealt with quickly.Make sure you get the damage evaluated.
Be careful about who you talk to about the accident.
Consider hiring an attorney.
Seek help.
