After a Car Accident in Salt Lake City

Answer:

Hi, I’m Brad DeBry. If you’re reading this right now, you’ve probably got some questions about a car crash that you’ve been in. Are you ready for the chaos that comes after a car crash? It feels like hundreds of things are happening all at once and everyone around you has got some advice on what they think you should do.

The police are going to be investigating. Both insurance companies are going to be asking questions. Your car’s wrecked or it could be totaled. You don’t have a ride. Maybe you’re out of work. Worst of all, you or your family member or somebody you love hurts and it’s just getting worse.

One mistake I see people make all the time is not getting to a medical provider as quickly as they can after a crash. At heart, most of us want to do the right thing. Maybe if I wait, all the pain will go away, there won’t be any issues with it, or some people are so worried about medical bills that they just won’t go into the doctor. Because of all that, we all try to convince ourselves sometimes that what’s happening isn’t really all that bad.

We try to convince ourselves that those little pains that we’re feeling will just go away. The problem is the little pains you’re feeling right now, they’re not going to go away. Honestly, they’re probably going to get worse.

Listen to me. If you don’t go to the doctor or a chiropractor or a physical therapist right now, how are we ever going to convince an insurance company or a jury that your injuries were bad enough that they should pay you a lot of money? Don’t make this huge mistake. Go to the doctor and go now.

The next mistake I see goes along with the first one. Some people go in for that initial doctor’s visit, but because life gets in the way, they don’t follow up with the treatment that the doctor recommended. For all the reasons that it’s critical that you go to the doctor that first time, it’s even more critical that you keep going back. If you stopped going to the doctor, the insurance company is going to assume that you got better. Don’t give the insurance company the excuse they need to minimize your case. Do what the doctor tells you. Go see them.

One of the biggest mistakes that I hear about, and this is a biggie, when people give an insurance company a recorded statement without the help of a lawyer. They give the insurance company a free pass to take a whack at your case before you even really know if you have one.

Soon after the crash, you’re going to get a phone call from the insurance adjustor. They will want to take a recorded statement. What that means is they want to record you while they ask you a whole bunch of questions about the crash and about your injuries. They want to do this before you hire a lawyer, before you understand what happened in the case, and before you’re even clear about what your injuries are.

Listen, insurance companies are not on your side. I promise you they’re not looking to give you money. They’re looking for ways to hurt your claim. Don’t make this mistake. Don’t give any insurance company a recorded statement without talking to a lawyer first.

Thanks for taking a second to learn about mistakes people make in Utah car accident cases. If you have a question, call me. I’ll talk with you for free and I’ll help you answer the questions you have about your Utah car crash case.