Dos and Don’ts After An Accident

The time immediately after a car accident can be confusing and uncertain for you and your family. You know you need medical attention and you may be facing expensive medical bills and days, weeks, or even months of lost wages, but you don’t know where to go for help.

You also may have heard advice from friends or family members who were in auto accidents of their own telling what you should and shouldn’t do. The Nashville car accident lawyers at Matt Hardin Law can help you understand the right and wrong moves after your wreck to better protect your health and your chances of receiving compensation.

Follow These Tips after Your Accident

To improve your chances of maximizing your claim after your auto accident, keep this list of Dos and Don’ts in mind:

Do go to the doctor right away

There’s nothing more important after a car accident than the health and well-being of you and your family. That’s why it’s vital that you go to the doctor right away and get full check-ups to rule out internal injuries and internal bleeding—both of which can go unnoticed for long periods of time and cause serious complications. A trip to the hospital or doctor’s office will also provide you with a medical report, which serves as proof of your injuries.

 Don’t volunteer information about your car accident to anyone

After an accident, you may be tempted to speak to others about the accident. Whether it’s your friends, your coworkers, your boss, your insurance agent, or even some of your family members, it’s important to stay light on the details of what happened in the accident. Your insurance adjuster’s job is to reduce or even deny as many claims as possible, and that sometimes means using auto accident victims’ words against them—which can include speaking to people you live or work with. The less you talk about your accident, the better.

 Do take notes and pictures after the accident

Even though you may feel like you’ll never forget the details of your accident after it occurs, it’s still important to document as much of it as possible as soon as possible. That means writing down everything you remember about the accident, including the lane you were traveling in, the lane the other driver was traveling in, the road and weather conditions at the time of the accident, and whether or not the other driver appeared to violate any traffic laws. In addition, take pictures of the accident scene with your phone or a disposable camera.

Don’t accept a settlement offer without speaking to an attorney

The insurance company may contact you soon after the accident with an initial settlement offer to help pay for your medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle repair expenses. It’s important that you don’t accept it without speaking to an attorney first. In many cases, initial settlement offers aren’t nearly enough to pay all of your accident-related expenses and are designed to take advantage of victims while they are still in shock from the accident. An experienced Nashville car accident attorney can help you determine the full cost of your accident, including current and future expenses—which is often much higher than the estimate from the insurance company.

 Do get a lawyer on your side

If you want to get full compensation for an accident that wasn’t your fault, you need to get a law firm to prepare your case and represent you in court if necessary. At Matt Hardin Law, our attorneys stay 100 percent up-to-date on Tennessee car accident laws, and we know how the system works. We will use our experience to collect evidence, interview witnesses, and build a claim that’s designed to maximize your money.

Don’t settle for just any law firm after your accident, and don’t wait to get the help your family deserves. Contact us today by dialing fill out a free online form. It’s our goal to help you put the accident behind you for good.