First Step
Seek immediate medical attention for your injuries. If possible, go to an emergency room or urgent care center as soon as you begin to experience pain or discomfort following a motor vehicle accident. It is important to have your injuries evaluated and appropriate diagnostic tests taken soon after a motor vehicle accident has occurred to make sure that there are no fractures, closed head injuries or internal bleeding which would require immediate medical attention.
If you do not feel that your injuries require emergency medical care, then go see your family doctor or a chiropractor the next day or as soon as you can get in. If you delay in seeking medical care, you could be making a costly mistake. At our Law Office, our Anaheim auto accident attorney will work with medical doctors, chiropractors and therapists who specialize in treating people who have been injured as a result of motor vehicle accidents. Medical referrals are available and you can receive medical treatment even if you don’t have health insurance coverage.
Second Step
Limit your communication with the negligent driver’s insurance company to matters pertaining only to your property damage. It’s okay to tell the insurance adjuster where your vehicle is so that they can do an estimate of your property damage. If your car is not drivable, then you can discuss arrangements for a rental car with the adjuster. However, you should not talk to the insurance adjuster about your injuries until you speak first with an anaheim auto accident attorney. Keep in mind that the adjuster is trying to obtain information that they can later use against you when it comes time to pay your claim. The adjuster is not your friend and their goal is to pay you as little money as possible to settle your claim. If the adjuster presses you for information, simply tell them that you were hurt in the accident and that you are seeking medical care for your injuries, but decline to go into any further detail.
Third Step
Hire an experienced auto accident attorney to represent you on your claim and let the attorney deal with the insurance adjuster. If you try to handle your injury claim by yourself, you will be at an extreme disadvantage. You probably don’t know the value of your claim, but an Anaheim Auto Injury Attorney will. The adjuster, on the other hand, is very experienced at handling claims and will offer to pay you less than your claim is worth. You could be losing thousands of dollars by settling your claim without having proper legal representation. Don’t be lured into signing a release in exchange for a quick settlement. You could find out later that your injuries have not fully resolved and you need additional medical care. Once you sign a release with the insurance company, you can’t go back and ask for more money. That’s why it’s so important to hire an Anaheim auto injury attorney who will fight for your rights and seek the maximum recovery possible on your behalf.