Car accidents usually take seconds to happen — but the aftereffects of one can last for months as you struggle to recover. Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t really care about your injuries and pain; they care about their profits. They’ll look for any opening to discredit your injuries and try to weaken your case for fair compensation.
To protect your own interests after a car accident, make sure that you avoid the following mistakes:
Waiting to seek treatment
If you’re injured, don’t wait to see “how injured” you really are — seek treatment immediately. If you wait until the pain in your back or head gets excruciating to finally go to the hospital or see a doctor, the insurance company may claim that you’re trying to blame a different injury on the accident. The tighter the correlation between the accident and the time you sought treatment, the better your credibility.
Not telling your doctor everything
You need your doctor to make note of everything — including your pain. If you minimize your symptoms when you see your doctor, the doctor’s notes are going to reflect a much rosier picture than you’re really experiencing. Do yourself a favor and complain.
Not following your doctor’s advice
Missing appointments, not getting recommended testing, not going to physical therapy and not taking your medication are all detrimental to your case. It makes you appear that you either aren’t really very injured or simply aren’t trying to get better. No matter what your injuries, you have an obligation to do your best to mitigate your own damage — which means being compliant with medical treatment as far as you are able.
Talking about a case on social media
These days, every attorney knows to look through social media to see if there’s anything that can be used to discredit a litigant. If you’re discussing the issues in the case, you might say something that could be misinterpreted. In fact, you may want to just stay off social media altogether until the case is settled.
Don’t let an injury from a car accident take over your life. An experienced attorney can help you obtain the compensation you need to get on with your recovery.