Don’t Minimize Your Injuries | Don’t Wait to Get Treatment or Contact Legal Counsel
When you’ve been hurt in any type of motor vehicle accident because of the carelessness or negligence of another person, you have a right to seek compensation for all your losses, from any unearned wages or income to your physical pain and suffering and any property damage. Your ability to fully collect the compensation due you can depend, to a significant degree, on how you respond to the accident. Here are some of the most important things not to do after any type of car, truck or motorcycle accident:
- Don’t minimize or question the seriousness of your injuries—It’s a common reaction. You don’t want an accident to change your life, and you want to be perceived as tough and strong. That attitude can come back to haunt you. The best thing to do, in the immediate aftermath of a motor vehicle accident, is acknowledge that you’ve been involved in a serious accident, with the potential for serious injuries. Take a thorough inventory of your health. Where does it hurt? How are your injuries affecting your mobility? Are you able to move comfortably under your own power?
When you try to shake off your injuries, it can provide evidence for defense attorneys or insurance companies to argue that your injuries were not that serious. Furthermore, ignoring the severity of your injuries can lead you to do things that make your injuries much worse. Your best course of action after any type of car accident—stay where you are (if you can do so safely) until emergency personnel arrive and defer to their knowledge and expertise. They will be able to assess the true nature and extent of your injuries.
- Don’t wait to get medical treatment—Even if it was only a minor “fender-bender,” the longer you wait to seek medical care, the more you jeopardize your legal claims. First, you can provide ammunition for defense/insurance company lawyers to argue that your injuries were minimal or inconsequential. If a significant amount of time elapses between the accident and when you seek treatment, defense attorneys may also argue that your injuries were caused by some unrelated intervening accident or event.
- Don’t wait to get legal counsel—The longer you wait to retain experienced representation, the greater the risk that you will say or do something that defense attorneys will use against you. The sooner you hire a lawyer, the sooner you’ll have an intermediary with insurance companies and an advocate in all legal matters.
Contact the Law Offices of David J. Karbasian, PC
Send us an e-mail today or call us at 856-667-4666 / 856-600-HURT to schedule an appointment to discuss your personal injury claim. Evening and weekend consultations are available upon request. We can come to your home or the hospital to meet with you, if necessary.
