What You Need To Do To Protect Your Personal Injury Claim
If your accident was caused by another’s negligence, then you may be able to secure compensation to help you cover the costs of your injuries. Whether your claim will succeed, however, will depend on the steps you take after your accident.
An attorney can help you avoid the common pitfalls that could limit your injury claim or keep you from bringing a claim at all. At The Law Office of Gary C. Nelson, we have decades of experience helping personal injury victims in California secure compensation for their injuries. We can help you understand the process to bring a claim and what steps need to be taken to give your case the best chance of success.
Steps To Protect Your Claim To Compensation
While there are several specific steps you should and should not take after an accident in order to protect your injury claim, some of the more important steps include:
- Be careful about what you say. Whether you are involved in a car collision or any other type of accident, it can be easy to quickly take the blame upon yourself and apologize for your actions. However, apologizing could be taken as an admission of guilt. So be careful about what you say right after an accident to the other driver, the police or other witnesses.
- Don’t accept a settlement immediately. If you were in a motor vehicle accident, the insurance company may reach out to you with an offer. Do not accept this offer without first speaking with an attorney about your rights. Insurance companies are looking out for their bottom line, and the offer you may receive may be less than what you are entitled to under the policy.
- Collect any evidence you can. As time passes, memories can fade and it may become difficult to gather evidence for your claim. If possible, after your accident, take the time to write down everything you can remember, obtain a copy of any police reports or public records, get the contact information from witnesses and take photos of the accident. This evidence can help your lawyer build your case.
- Speak with an attorney as soon as possible. Personal injury claims have time limits, which are known as statutes of limitations. The length of time you have will depend on the facts in your case. So, it is important that you speak with an attorney as soon as possible in order to file your claim before the deadline.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Today
Contact our firm to discuss your case and get advice about what you can do to protect your claim. You can call our Modesto office at 209-222-4089 or reach us by email. Your first consultation is free of charge and you will not have to pay any attorney fees unless we win you a recovery.