Being involved in any kind of accident can often be a traumatic and life-changing experience. Whether it be an auto accident, construction accident, a slip and fall, motorcycle accident, an accident with a drunk driver, or any other kind of accident, there are certain steps that you should take in order to protect both your health and your legal rights. Let’s take a look.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Possibly the most important action you can take after any kind of accident is to seek immediate medical attention. If you have sustained visible injuries, this step may seem fairly obvious. But even in the case that you do not seem injured following your accident, seeking immediate medical attention is extremely important.
Many injuries do not immediately present themselves following an accident, but the longer they go untreated, the worse it can be for you. Injuries to your brain, spinal cord, or internal bleeding may not be immediately apparent after your accident but can have devastating impacts on your life if left undiagnosed and untreated.
Furthermore, the sooner you identify any injuries you may have sustained in your accident, the stronger any potential personal injury claim you may have becomes. In order to recover compensation for the injuries you have sustained in your accident, you will need to tie those injuries directly to your accident, and the longer you wait to identify those injuries, the harder linking the two becomes, and the more difficulty you will have recovering compensation.
Speak with an Experienced Monmouth County Accident and Injury Attorney
Many injured parties hurt their chances of recovering compensation by taking different actions following their accident without first speaking with an attorney. Insurance adjusters will almost always investigate your case, and many times statements you make to them, or documents you sign without understanding their implications can seriously hurt your chances of recovering full and fair compensation for your injuries.
By speaking with an attorney before taking any other actions, you will have a much clearer understanding of your rights, obligations, and steps to take following your accident.
Don’t Speak with the Insurance Company
Similar to our previous point, anything you say to the insurance company or an insurance adjuster following your accident can be used against you. A common example is when the insurance adjuster asks you how you are feeling after your accident. At the time they ask you, you feel shaken up, but otherwise OK. Two days later your back begins to hurt terribly, and you discover a serious complication. The insurance company will use the fact that you said you were OK after your accident against you, and make it much more difficult for you to recover the compensation you need and deserve for your injuries.
If you hire an attorney, the insurance company can no longer legally contact you personally, they will have to instead make all of their inquiries through your attorney, and your attorney will have a much better understanding of what to say to them, and how.
Don’t Exaggerate your Injuries
Insurance companies are smart, focused, and focused on their bottom-line. If you exaggerate the extent of your injuries in an effort to recover more compensation, rest assured they will discover this, and use it against you. Should they find that you have exaggerated your injuries, whatever compensation you recover, if any at all, will be much less than if you have simply been straightforward about your injuries from the get-go
Be Honest and Open with your Attorney
The more your attorney knows about all of the details surrounding your accident, the better they can work towards securing compensation. As difficult as it may be to discuss potentially embarrassing, private, or even harmful details which may damage your case, the bottom line is that your attorney needs to know. If any information comes as a surprise to your attorney during the course of your claim, it can be extremely damaging to your case. If they are aware of all of the facts beforehand, your attorney can work in such a way that it still protects you and the viability of your personal injury claim.
Keep Records of Everything
The more evidence you can provide to your Monmouth County injury attorney, the better. Pictures of your injuries, pictures of the development or improvement of your injuries, pictures of the scene of the accident, pictures of objects related to your accident, police reports, medical bills, insurance policy information, and correspondence with your insurance provider will all help to paint the clearest possible picture of your accident, and the injuries you have sustained.
If you can, also keep a record of the affects your injuries have on your day to day life. If you wanted to go to the park with your kids, but couldn’t, make a note of it. Record the emotions you are experiencing as the result of your injuries, and how much physical pain you are experiencing using the 1-10 scale that medical professionals employ. Share this information with your attorney.
Be Patient
Recovering full and fair compensation for your injuries is not an overnight process. While most insurance companies will offer you an initial settlement offer shortly after your accident, that offer is almost never an accurate reflection of what you will actually need in order to pay for your medical costs, nor will it be fair to you in terms of the pain and suffering you have experienced as a result of your injuries.
Trust that your attorney will work towards securing you a settlement or verdict that accurately reflects you and your family’s needs. The good news in this scenario is that almost every personal injury attorney will work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will not have to pay them for their services or the legal costs associated with the recovery process until they make you a recovery. Remember that any recovery you make with the help of an attorney will almost always be more than what you could have gotten should you have proceeded without legal representation.
Contact Our Monmouth County Accident And Injury Attorneys Today
At The Law Office of Chamlin, Uliano & Walsh, our attorneys have extensive experience helping clients across Freehold, Red Bank, Wall, West Long Branch, and the greater Monmouth County area to recover compensation in personal injury cases and worker’s compensation claims of all kinds.
Our personal injury team is lead by an attorney who is both a Certified Civil Trial Attorney as well as a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney. Charles J. Uliano is one of only 43 lawyers in the entire state of New Jersey to hold this dual Certification, and it speaks to his dedication to not only the law, but to his desire to provide the most knowledgeable, effective, and dedicated legal service possible to all of his clients.
To speak with our firm today in a free and confidential consultation regarding your accident, and potential avenues for recovering compensation, please contact us online, or through our West Long Branch office today at (732) 440-3950.