Being in an accident can be scary. You may feel panicked and your adrenaline will be pumping. Sometimes in these situations, you may make the wrong decisions that may have legal ramifications later on. Here are a few things that a Chicago personal injury attorney would advise you to avoid doing if you are considering a personal injury claim.
Do Not Claim Responsibility
Never admit fault to an accident. This can completely ruin your settlement and will hurt you in court. If you don’t originally claim fault, don’t do it at any point afterwards. The other person’s insurance company is more than happy to let you point your finger at yourself. Don’t let it happen. You don’t want to have a settlement ready to go only to jeopardize it by giving into human nature and attempting to apologize or downplaying something.
Don’t Talk To Insurance Companies Alone
Don’t talk to the other party’s insurance company. They will call you after an accident and might say they’re just gathering information about the accident. Do not tell them anything about the accident.
Know your rights. You have the right to remain silent. If they press the issue, ask for their name and number or other contact information and tell them you’ll have your attorney contact them as soon as possible.
Keep All Important Documents
Don’t throw away anything. Make sure to keep medical bills, documents from doctors, notes from the individual(s) responsible for your injury, letters from insurance companies, and all other relevant information in a box or container. These things will make sure you can properly settle at the end of your treatment. That brings another major point: do not settle up until your treatment has been fully carried out. Things such as medication may not work out and things could be more complicated or serious than originally thought to be. This means medical could be a bigger problem than originally thought and be more costly than planned.
Don’t Negotiate with Insurance Companies
In case you ignored the first rule of not talking to insurance companies, the most important thing to avoid is talking to insurance companies or the at-fault party. Always have your attorney present in these situations. The other person’s insurance is trying to get the absolute best deal and they don’t care about what you need. Your attorney cares about what you need. That’s who you should trust.
Always Consult Your Attorney
Don’t let anybody coerce you into signing things without an attorney. This may be obvious to anybody who watches TNT or USA but not every does. You could easily be scammed even if you think you’re reading the fine print. Let the expert take care of legal documents and all other settlement issues. Legal matters are best left to those who practice law.
You’ve already been through a difficult time if you’ve had to file a personal injury claim. Let these tips guide you in the process of getting your settlement and make things a bit easier. Be cautious and take care of yourself.
If you are looking for a Chicago personal injury attorney to protect your interests, the Shea Law Group can assist you. Give them a call today to set up a consultation.
