There are many things in life that you can properly plan for. Unfortunately, getting involved in a car accident is not one of them. Auto accidents are often scary and traumatic events. You likely will not be in the best state of mind directly after your auto collision. However, it is imperative that you remain calm, contact a Kansas City car accident lawyer, and avoid making the following mistakes after your auto accident.
Ask a Car Accident Lawyer: 7 Mistakes to Avoid After an Accident
1. Not Calling the Police
While a police officer is not arriving to help you build your legal case, they will take down important information and evidence. This can be critically valuable to your case, especially if you are understandably flustered post-accident.
Typically, the police officer will take pictures, speak with witnesses, examine the road, and craft an official police report. Should you end up in court, a police report that defends your stance would be beneficial.
2. Failing to Collect Your Own Evidence
You should certainly call the police and obtain a police report. However, don’t completely rely on the officer to collect evidence. For your own best interest, if you are not severely injured, you should do your best to get the following:
- Pictures of your vehicle
- Pictures of the other party’s vehicle
- Pictures of the road
- The other driver’s information
- The other driver’s insurance information
3. Admitting Fault
This can be a very difficult mistake to avoid. Even if you whole-heartedly believe you were not at fault, you may still find yourself rushing out of the car to apologize to the other party. While this could be seen as a kind gesture, simply voicing the words, “I’m sorry” could have a negative impact on your case as it could be seen as admitting fault.
Instead, do not apologize or say you’re sorry for the events that took place. Simply act politely, make sure you and the other individual are okay, and gather the information at your disposal.
4. Not Letting Your Kansas City Car Accident Lawyer Handle the Insurance Adjuster
An insurance adjuster is likely going to call you after your car accident and attempt to get you to speak about the accident. Avoid this conversation at all costs. While the insurance adjuster might initially seem like they are just gathering information, they are truly attempting to spin your story to discredit your claims and give you the minimum compensation offer for your injuries.
It is crucial that you only speak about the details with your professional Kansas City car accident lawyer. They will fight for your best interest and handle all of the conversions with the insurance agencies on your behalf.
5. Accepting a Low Offer
You are unlikely to know how much money you should collect from the at-fault driver’s insurer for your injury claim unless you operate in the legal or liability insurance fields. Insurance adjusters anticipate this and make a low-ball offer early in the case in the hopes that the injured party will take it. People frequently discover after the fact that they should have received significantly more money, but at this point, it is too late.
6. Avoiding Medical Treatment
Even if you feel fine after your auto accident it is important that you receive proper medical attention. There are a couple of reasons that this is the best course of action. First of all, medical documentation that you receive from your doctor could massively benefit your legal case. You need to prove injury and a medical document carries a lot more weight than simply your word.
Second, you could be injured and not feel the pain symptoms yet. For instance, a very common auto accident injury is whiplash. Whiplash is a soft tissue injury that you sustain from the quick and unexpected jerking motion of your head and neck. It could take days or even weeks before pain symptoms appear so you need to visit a doctor immediately after an auto accident just to be safe.
7. Taking Too Long to File the Case
In some states, there is a time limit for filing a claim after a car accident. It is important to research and discover your state’s statute of limitations. Essentially, that is how long you have to initiate a lawsuit and the time begins ticking from the date of your motor vehicle collision. For instance, auto accident victims in Kansas City, MO have a statute of limitations of five years.
A Conversation About Your Case
The experience of being in a car accident is traumatic, and it’s understandable that you would want to talk about it. It is however important to be careful to whom you speak.
You should limit your conversations only with your personal injury attorney. It is possible to accidentally leak information to an insurance adjuster or defense attorney.
Conclusion
Being involved in a car accident can be frightening and stressful, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take proactive measures to ensure you are in the best situation possible going forward. If you avoid the 7 mistakes listed above, you are well on your way to positioning yourself for a successful legal case.