If you were recently injured in a car accident, mistakes such as ignoring your doctor’s medical advice and trying to handle your insurance claim without legal representation can prevent you from recovering full financial compensation for your injury-related losses.
You were injured in a car accident. You want to make sure you protect your legal rights, and you are concerned about making mistakes that could jeopardize your recovery. So, what do you need to know in order to preserve your claim for financial compensation?
After a car accident, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do in order to protect your legal rights. Here are five mistakes that car accident victims in New Jersey should try to avoid.
Mistake #1: Making Uninformed Decisions about Your Medical Care
Any time you are injured in an accident and you believe that you may be entitled to recover your losses, one of the most important things you can do is to seek medical attention immediately. Not only do you need a doctor to diagnose your injury (or injuries), but you also need a doctor to link your injury to the collision. The longer you wait, the worse your injuries could become, and the more opportunity the insurance companies will have to argue that intervening factors are to blame for your medical expenses and other losses.
Mistake #2: Following the Insurance Companies’ Lead
Auto insurance advertisements often focus on telling you how easy it will be to file a claim if you choose a particular insurance company. But, the reality is that claims apps and other “benefits” and “features” are designed to help the insurance companies, not you.
When you file an insurance claim, you need to take control of the process. You need to make informed decisions about what information you provide, and you need to calculate what constitutes just compensation for your accident-related losses. If you follow the insurance companies’ lead and assume that they will treat you fairly, you simply will not recover maximum compensation.
Mistake #3: Allowing Your Own Words and Photos to Be Used against You
At the time you report the accident, you will be asked to provide a statement regarding what you think happened. This statement will be recorded. And if you say anything that suggests that you might have been even partially at fault in the accident, it will be used against you. The same goes for any statements and photos you post online. As a result, when you have an auto accident insurance claim, it is best to let your attorney speak on your behalf and to stay off of social media until your claim is over.
Mistake #4: Focusing Only on the Short-Term Costs of Your Injuries
If you were injured in a car accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to full compensation for all of your current and future losses resulting from the collision. If you focus only on the short-term costs of your injuries – your emergency medical bills and the time you are currently missing from work – you are going to leave a lot of money on the table. Your future losses could very well be the largest portion of their insurance claim, so accurately calculating these losses will be critical to recovering just compensation.
Mistake #5: Rushing the Process and Overlooking the Details
If you are like most people who have been seriously injured in a car accident, you want to get your life back as soon as possible. While this is understandable, rushing the process can result in receiving far less than you deserve – particularly if you settle before you know the long-term effects of your injuries. Likewise, overlooking key details can prevent you from accurately calculating the full extent of your accident-related losses.
In order to avoid these – and other – mistakes, it is important that you discuss your car accident with an attorney. At Petro Cohen, P.C., we represent clients who have been seriously injured in car accidents throughout New Jersey. Whether you are on the side of the road or you are at home (or in the hospital) recovering, we can help you, and we encourage you to contact us right away to speak with one of our attorneys for free.
Speak with a New Jersey Car Accident Lawyer for Free
If you have been injured in a car accident in New Jersey, our lawyers can explain everything you need to know, and we can deal with the insurance companies for you.
Our New Jersey personal injury lawyers have successfully handled thousands of vehicular accident cases throughout New Jersey and have a proven history of success. There is no cost to speak with us, and you will not be obligated to pay any of our legal expenses unless we are able to make a recovery on your behalf.
Susan Petro, who heads the PI department and is also the Managing Partner of the firm, along with Rich Gaeckle and Mike Veneziani, will handle your personal injury case, fighting for full and fair compensation in every case they handle. Richard Gaeckle has been named to the NJ Super Lawyers® list nine years in the practice area of personal injury. He also has a Superb rating on AVVO and an A/V rating with Martindale-Hubbell, both of which are the highest possible ratings by the respective organizations.
In addition to automobile, truck, and motorcycle accidents, our lawyers have dealt with a variety of serious personal injury claims. Whether your injury resulted from a slip and fall accident, dog bite, or a construction site accident, we can assist. Our firm has also successfully handled many claims against public entities, traumatic brain injuries, maritime personal injury and boating accident cases, premises liability claims, pedestrian injuries, wrongful death claims, and many other types of personal injury cases.
We know you have choices with your legal representation for your serious personal injury. For a free, no-obligation consultation, call us at 888-675-7607 or tell us how to reach you online now.
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