Never Do This After A Car Wreck

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Being the victim of a careless driver can mean a chaotic and confusing situation. Not only do you have to deal with your injuries and a wrecked car, but you are certain that you have a good personal injury case against the other driver. It's important not to allow the stress and confusion to make you make some missteps that might lead to jeopardizing your chances for a good monetary settlement. Read to learn about two of those things that you should never do after a car wreck:

You say the wrong thing to the wrong person.

It may be natural to feel upset about the wreck and to get confused about who or what is to blame. Regardless of the eventual outcome, just assume that everything you say at the accident scene, to medical personnel, and on social media, will make its way back to the at-fault driver's insurance carrier. For example, when the other driver expresses shock and remorse at causing the accident that has left you injured, do not attempt to lessen their anguish by assuring them that you are "fine" or that your actions may have contributed to the accident in some way. It's much better to keep your silence and wait until you know the facts before speaking about the accident to anyone, even to your Facebook friends.

Along those same lines, you may be the recipient of a phone call from the other side's insurance carrier at some point. The caller will be very nice and polite, and may even promise you that if you agree to make a recorded statement while on the phone, you will soon be receiving a nice, fat check from them. Don't fall for this trick, this insurance adjuster specializes in reducing claim amounts for the at-fault driver's insurance company and will stop at nothing to get you to say something that could harm your claim. Instead, direct the caller to your personal injury attorney; you are under no obligation to give them a recorded statement.

You rely heavily on the police or accident report to win your case.

These reports do contain some valuable information and should be utilized early on in your efforts to be compensated. For example, the report will likely contain the contact information and insurance information about the other drivers in the accident. In some cases, you may get some bonus information if the officer who responded to the scene was able to draw some preliminary conclusions about the accident and they may even name who caused the wreck and why. All of this information will be instrumental in getting your attorney up to speed quickly. On the negative side, that accident report will not be admissible in a court of law if you end up taking your case to the courtroom.

Contact a law office like Campbell, Dille, Barnett & Smith, P.L.L.C. for more information and assistance. 

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