Did you suffer serious injuries when another car hit you in Portland? You could have broken bones, head trauma, cuts and scrapes, and severe pain. If another person caused your accident, you should think about filing a lawsuit and retaining Portland personal injury attorneys to represent you today. Before hiring an attorney, there are several things you should do to help your case.
The most important thing you should do after a serious car accident is to go to your doctor or ER. Seeing a medical professional is vital to ensure your well-being and health. Also, remember that the basis for a successful lawsuit is that another person caused your injuries through negligence or misdeed. However many auto accident victims don’t see a doctor immediately. After all, their injuries might not cause pain at first, and the rush of adrenaline can suppress pain for a few hours. This may cause you not to go to the doctor until you have pain in a day or two.
But what if you have severe pain in your back and abdomen a few days later that is related to a bleed in your intestines from the accident? You didn’t see a doctor immediately, so the insurance company can claim that your injury was unrelated to the accident. This is why you should almost always go to the doctor after a car accident. Unless it was just a fender bender at a few miles per hour with no injuries, it’s always best to be looked over by a doctor. Doing so will help your portland personal injury attorneys get more money for your claim.
The next thing you should do after a severe car accident is to not say more than you need to at the crash scene. After an accident, it’s easy to be talkative and apologetic, but you shouldn’t say more than you need to the other people involved. Never talk about who caused the accident or admit fault. If you do, those words could be twisted and used to complicate a claim that you make later.
Also, if the other driver’s insurance company calls you after the accident, you should not talk to them. Their purpose is to get you on the record saying something that damages your claim. They might try to get you to accidentally admit fault for an accident that was their client’s fault. If the insurance company calls you, just tell them politely to talk to your attorney. Your Portland personal injury lawyers know how to talk to insurance companies and will negotiate on your behalf.
Furthermore, you can aid your case by not discussing it with anyone except your lawyer and people in your house. Some people share too much on social media after a serious accident, and this can put your case in jeopardy. It also may be best to avoid posting on social media at all until the case is over. The other driver’s insurance company tracks your social media pages and looks for evidence that you aren’t seriously injured.
The last thing you should do to help your case is to speak to your attorneys as soon as you can. The sooner your Portland personal injury lawyers are working on the case, the better. Many injured parties attempt to save legal fees by negotiating their settlement. But you may have said or done things during your negotiations that hurt your claim. People who aren’t well versed in personal injury law can damage their case without knowing it. It’s best to call an attorney as soon as you can after the crash, such as when you are in the ER being checked over.
