4 Things You Can Do to Screw Up Your Car Accident Case

After you have been in a car accident there are a lot of things you need to do right in order to get the maximum payout for your claim. If you don’t follow the rules of the game you are likely to lose (or do very badly). 

That’s why it is important to consider hiring a car accident lawyer who knows how the game is played. But, if you want to do that and want to see if you can manage the claim on your own here are some things you absolutely shouldn’t do or it will likely permanently damage your claim.

  1. Never lie about what happened. I know it sounds cliche. You need to tell the truth or bad things happen. Well, in a personal injury case that is absolutely true. No matter what happened, it is important you tell the truth or you risk losing face with the insurance company. These companies have vast amounts of data about you.  Maybe even stuff you didn’t know about or forgot happened to you. So it is best to always disclose the truth even if it looks bad.  
  2. Do not post anything on social media. While it may be fun to post things on social media, that is considered public information even if you are sharing things within a friends circle.  You better bet these companies are checking your social media profile to grab a picture of you surfing in Tahiti or doing backflips off of a diving board. Those types of pictures will destroy any bodily injury portion of your case. So, even if you somehow are capable of doing those things while needing a disc replacement surgery, do not post them online, you will live to regret that moment. 
  3. Do not take any offers before you complete medical treatment. You have to go through all your medical treatment before you make an offer. Usually, if you are not represented by an attorney, the insurance company is going to offer you $5,000 almost immediately after the accident.  You can probably get them to give you $8,000 – $10,000 if you push and really want the money, but at the end of the day, you don’t want to take any money. You could have medical bills that are really high in the future because you need future care that you didn’t know you needed until you got checked out after a few months. If you take that offer, your case would be settled and you would have missed out on much needed funds to keep you better in the long run. 
  4. Do not provide a recorded statement about the facts of the case. You can tell the insurance company that they can obtain a police report and that your statement is in there. If they want to depose you after you file a lawsuit (should it go that far) they can do that. But, other than that, you don’t have to divulge anything about the accident. They can get all the information they need from your treating doctors and the police report. 

The four tips above will save you from heartache later. A lot of heartache. If you follow these tips you will definitely improve your chances of getting a higher claim value. So follow those simple tips to maximize the amount of money you receive upon settling your claim.