5 Things You Should Never Do After a Car Crash in Lake County

 Posted on May 16,2022 in Car Accidents

From the moment you make it out of your crashed vehicle up until you have received your settlement, everything you do following a car accident could be important. In most cases, you are not dealing with the driver who hit you - you are dealing with their insurance company. Insurance representatives are trained to save their company money, not to make sure that people their clients carelessly injure get a fair deal. Saying or doing the wrong thing could ultimately hurt your case. Anything from an off-handed remark to a witness on the side of the road to a badly-worded social media post could ultimately cause you to lose out on part of the compensation you deserved. The best thing you can do after a serious motor vehicle accident is to call a lawyer sooner rather than later, and then follow their advice.

Actions to Avoid After Being Injured in a Traffic Accident

What you do not do is often just as important as what you do. If you were injured in a car accident, you should not:

• Leave the scene - It does not matter how minor you think the accident was - you must stay there until police or first responders say otherwise. You do not want to discover several days later that your injuries were more severe than you initially thought when it is too late to have an officer investigate the scene. Leaving prematurely could also land you in legal hot water, even if you are not the one who caused the crash.
• Post on social media - A social media post about the accident could be turned against you. Update your loved ones through more old-fashioned means until your case resolves.
• Get aggressive - At best, getting into an altercation with the at-fault driver is entirely unhelpful. At worst, it could lead to you being arrested. It is better to remain as calm as you can until you are able to get away and contact an attorney.
• Downplay what happened - There is such thing as being too polite after an accident. While you should not get into an argument, you also should not say things like, “it was only a light tap,” or “I am alright, do not worry.” The insurance company could use statements like these to accuse you of exaggerating the extent of your injuries.
• Talk to insurance - The only thing you should tell the at-fault driver’s insurance company is how to get in touch with your attorney.

This can all be a lot to keep track of at what is often a very difficult time, but avoiding these few mistakes can help preserve your claim.

Call a Lake County Car Accident Attorney

Salvi & Maher, LLP is dedicated to helping those who have been hurt by negligent drivers recover compensation. Our experienced Waukegan car accident lawyers can take control of the situation as soon as you call. Contact us at 847-662-3303 for a free consultation.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=062500050K11-402