Motor vehicle accidents are rare, and sometimes we forget what steps to take when they do happen. Once you have been in a car accident, regardless of whose fault it is, you need to do certain things to protect your interests.
First Contact After an Auto Accident
First, if you are able to, call the ambulance and the police and communicate clearly what the other driver did wrong. Second, seek medical attention on the same day of the car wreck. This should happen via ambulance or the emergency room. But it is critical that you clearly communicate to a medical provider each and every area of your body that is hurting on the same day of the crash. Sometimes the ER/Ambulance crew are focused on life threatening injuries and so they may not ask about the other injuries you have. However, if you do not tell them about the other injuries, it will not get onto their records, and the insurance company will use this as evidence that those injuries do not really exist. Also, any delay in treatment after a car accident will be manipulated by the insurance company as an admission on your part that you were not hurt very bad.
Do Not Speak With The Insurance Company
Second, NEVER speak to a car insurance company after a car wreck without your lawyer present. The next person on the list to contact should be a personal injury attorney such as The Bonneau Law Firm. Although contacting the insurance company may seem like “the right thing to do”, they have interests that are in direct conflict with yours. It is likely that the insurance company may say you do not need an attorney so that they can negotiate the insurance claim with you alone; (a person who has less experience and less knowledge than they do). Remember that the auto insurance company is looking out for its own interests. The insurance company will have its own attorney to ensure that the insurance pays out as little as possible, even if it owes you. So never talk to them, and never agree to a recorded statement.
Contact The Bonneau Law Firm
Contact a motor vehicle accident lawyer right away if you have been injured in a car wreck. Keep the Bonneau Law Firm contact information with your emergency contact information so that a loved one is able to contact us if you are not able to do it yourself.