Do you need help with a car accident? Read these Salt Lake City car accident tips and contact Brad DeBry today for a free consultation.
Choosing a Car Accident Attorney
After a car crash, it feels like chaos with everything that’s happening. In the middle of all that chaos, a really common story I hear is, people aren’t sure whether or not it makes sense for them to even call a lawyer.
Some people think that because there’s not much damage to their car, they shouldn’t call. Others don’t think their injuries seem big enough. They don’t want to bother calling the lawyer or taking the time to deal with a claim. A lot of people will wait weeks or months, some people have even called after years. People wait because they don’t think their case is big enough to call. In one case, my client got rear-ended on a motorcycle. He was a great guy, really tough, one of those guys that could get through anything. He figured that his case wasn’t worth talking with a lawyer about. He was just going to fight through the pain on his own, wait to get better.
Unfortunately, it turned out the small pain he had didn’t go away. It actually go worse and worse until eventually he ended up having to have a surgery. By the time he got me involved, he had already made some big mistakes in his case that took us a long time—almost a year and a half—to fix and sort out. Because things can go wrong quickly that hurt your case, if you’re dealing with pain from a crash and you’re getting any kind of medical treatment for it, it always makes sense to talk to a lawyer right away.
After a Car Accident
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. In the middle of navigating all that chaos, you’re going to need to make some important decisions and do it without ruining your potential injury case. This wasn’t your fault and you don’t have to suffer for it. As bad as things are right now, there are a lot of things that can still go wrong and hurt your potential injury case. Right now, I’m going to share three common mistakes that I see in Utah car crashes all the time. Stay with me until the very end because you don’t want to miss the third mistake. It’s a real biggie.
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.
Single Biggest Mistake After a Car Accident
The single biggest mistake that many people make after a car crash is hiring a settlement mill law firm. These tend to be the large, high-profile firms that crowd the highways with billboards and inundate TV stations with their commercials. In truth, most of these firms are settlement mills whose business models are more focused on speed, volume, and profit than with the interests of their clients.
Do you or your loved one need help with a serious accident involving a car? Read these Salt Lake City car accident tips and contact experienced Salt Lake City car accident lawyer Brad DeBry for a free consultation.
