What Car Insurance Companies Don't Want You to Know, Part One
Dozens of car accidents happen in San Diego every day. Fortunately, most are minor and don't cause injury. However, a large percentage of these accidents do cause some injury and leave victims wondering what they must do to protect themselves.
Without specific knowledge of what to do after a car accident, most accident victims are left at the mercy of insurance adjustors who are looking to exploit their lack of knowledge and the fact that they have not hired an experienced injury lawyer.
Here are some things insurance companies don't want you to know:
Get Medical Attention For Your Pain and Do It Today
Your first priority after an accident is to look after your health. If there is any sign that you have been injured, including pain and stiffness, seek medical treatment right away. An early medical consultation can save you days, weeks, even months of uncertainty and worry and provide you with a plan to regain your health.
Often the fact that you're injured will not become clear for hours or even days after an accident. The adrenaline rush you receive after the accident tends to mask your pain. However, the quick acceleration forces put on your body by the car accident may cause damage to your spine, nerves, muscles, or ligaments. It can also effect your range of motion and your ability to perform your usual activities.
It is also common for people to shake off any notion that they are injured following an accident. People don't want to make a big deal, don't want to get involved in an insurance claim, and don't want to see a doctor. But by trying to be tough, you are playing into the insurance company's hands. Insurance companies love it when an accident victim immediately reports a claim and gives a recorded statement that they are not injured. Now the insurance company has a basis for denying your claim. "You said you weren't injured, right? Why then are you now claiming to be injured?"
Another trick the insurance company likes to use to deny or minimize your claim occurs when you don't see a doctor right away (same day or within several days). While you may be waiting to see if your pain goes away naturally or to save costs, the longer you wait the more you play into the insurance company's hands. They will say, "If you were injured in the car accident, why didn't you go see a doctor earlier?" Go see a doctor right away. A single treatment is affordable and if the other driver is at fault then this expense will be paid.
For more tips and information, contact the Jurewitz Law Group to discuss your car accident.
