Posted on Wednesday, June 21st, 2017 at 8:45 pm
The moments immediately following a car accident are chaotic and frightening, especially if you have never been in a car accident. The weeks and months following the accident can be frustrating as you try to heal from your injuries. On top of everything, you may have an aggressive insurance adjuster demanding that you provide certain information and pushing you to settle your claim.
What you do and say after a car accident can have an enormous impact on your ability to settle your claim for full value. Our Sacramento car accident lawyers want to help you avoid making mistakes that can harm your claim. An insurance adjuster can use your statements against you to make it difficult to receive compensation.
Watch What You Say!
Being aware of what you should not say after a car accident can help you avoid making a costly mistake.
Don’t Apologize After a Car Accident
You may have been raised to say, “I’m sorry” when something terrible happens. However, doing so after a car accident may imply fault. Even if you are trying to be polite or express your regret that a crash occurred, your words could be construed as admitting fault. An admission of fault could result in your claim being denied because for you to recover compensation, you must prove that the other driver caused the accident. Even if you believe you could be partially at fault for the crash, avoid saying so or apologizing at the accident scene.
Avoid Statements About Your Health
After an accident, the insurance adjuster may contact you to obtain a statement. The adjuster wants to settle the claim as quickly as possible for the lowest amount possible. He may ask you how you are feeling or how you are doing after the wreck. Many people simply reply “fine” or “okay” to these questions, especially if a stranger asks the question. Even though the responses are polite, they are misleading. You are not “fine” or “okay” if you are injured. You don’t want to make any statements that mislead the insurance adjuster either way. Therefore, avoid discussing your health. Allow your medical records and your attorney to provide the information needed to process your accident claim.
Avoid Guessing or Saying, “I Think.”
As you are talking to the police at the accident scene, the insurance adjuster, or another party, avoid guessing or saying, “I think” in response to a question. If you don’t know the answer to a question, simply state that you are unsure. Your attorney will give you more direction on how to answer questions that you are unsure of the answer.
Let Your Attorney Protect You and Your Claim
As your attorneys, our Sacramento accident lawyers can guide you through the process of filing an injury claim. We have successfully handled many personal injury claims for our clients. It is our goal to help you avoid making potentially costly mistakes so that you can receive the maximum compensation allowable by law for your claim.
Call The Tiemann Law Firm at (916) 999-9000 or visit our website to schedule a free legal consultation. We accept most personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t pay our attorney fees until we recover funds for your claim.
Our law firm serves clients in Sacramento, Folsom, Roseville, El Dorado Hills and other communities in the greater Sacramento area.
Call our office at (916) 999-9000 for a free consultation with an experienced Sacramento car accident attorney.
