Do not make these mistakes if you are injured in a Las Vegas car crash and need a lawyer. Please read this information and contact Rise Legal – Steve Dixon Law, one of Las Vegas top car crash lawyers, who can provide more information and help resolve your case effectively. Rise Legal – Steve Dixon Law has offices in Las Vegas, Mesquite, and Logandale/Overton to assist you with your car crash accident. Call (702) 329-4911 for a free consultation today.
Car Accident Mistakes That You Can Avoid
Get a Police Report!
After a car crash, the first thing to remember is to make sure you are not significantly injured. If you are, don’t move. Someone should be able to come help you call an ambulance in the near future. If you can, try and contact 911 on your own if you are seriously injured and wait for help to arrive. If you are injured, but still able to somehow move, please make sure you can do so safely. Just like the airline stewardesses tell us, if there is an oxygen issue take care of yourself first then help your child. If you are ok to move, you can then make sure everyone else in your vehicle is ok.
You should then immediately call the police. People often make a mistake of not calling the police if they think the accident is a small one. However, even small accidents can result in serious injuries. Exchanging information with the other driver is often not enough.
By calling the police, you are creating legitimate documentation of the accident. If it is a hit and run accident and you cannot find the other driver, then you can go to the police station and create a police report. Make sure to note that you are injured if you are indeed hurt in your car crash. One of the first items of information insurance companies want is to know if a police report exists. This validates that the accident actually occurred in their minds. Moreover, making a complete and accurate statement about the accident can help prove the facts of the incident later on. It is not uncommon for an at fault driver to change his or her story after the fact because they believe they can get away with not being caught in the future.
In addition, people sometimes give out fake insurance information if the police are not called. I have even seen a fake insurance ID card be handed to my client – with an insurance policy number that didn’t even exist. Having the police come to the accident will assist in the other party telling the truth.
Please make sure and read the police report when you get it. Officers can make mistakes just like anyone else. If something is missing or incorrect in the report, contact the police department and ask them to correct the information immediately. Insurance companies rely so heavily on police reports that they will jump at any chance to point out information that is incorrect in your eyes, but helps their case.
Take Pictures!
One of the first questions I ask my clients is if they took pictures from the accident scene. Pictures say more than a thousand words. Good pictures of the damage to your vehicle can literally win or lose your case. If there are no pictures of your car crash, insurance lawyers will use that against you at trial. They will say that the accident was not that bad because you obviously didn’t want the jury to think this accident wasn’t very forceful. Pictures make some of the very best evidence during any trial.
Moreover, pictures will help settle your case before a lawsuit has to be filed. Make sure to get pictures from many angles and notate all of the damage to your vehicle. You should be able to take pictures while you are waiting for the police to arrive.
You should also take pictures of the surrounding area. Also, take pictures if there are skid marks, damaged property from the accident nearby, etc.
If you notice that you have bruises or scars from the accident make sure and take pictures of your injuries as well. The police will likely not take these pictures for you. If you are hurting don’t tell the police that you feel ok. Make sure and let them know you are hurting, at least a little, if you are indeed hurting somewhere.
After you take pictures make sure to keep them. Email them to yourself so that they are always in the cloud. It can take months for an insurance company to complete its investigation. Sometimes they don’t ask for pictures for some time following the accident. Do anything you have to in order to make sure the pictures aren’t lost.
Go To A Doctor
One of the biggest mistakes people make that hurts them most with insurance companies is that they wait to go to the doctor. Even if you are seriously injured an insurance adjuster will wonder why it took you five days to go to a doctor. This is true even if you stayed in bed, took a ton of pain medication, and tried your best to self medicate. Every insurance adjuster will ask how long before the patient started treating.
When you do go to a doctor make sure to detail all of your pain complaints. Soft tissue injuries can take some time to manifest. So if you are feeling even a little sore, make sure you tell the physician where you are sore. Do not be embarrassed. It can take some time for adrenaline to get out of your system. When it does, that’s when you will start feeling pain.
If you develop new symptoms, get to the doctor again ASAP so those can be notated and treated properly as well.
Hire The Right Attorney – Immediately
Unfortunately, it seems that most law firms now “handle” car crash cases. They think it will be easy to simply send a demand and get a paycheck. This is not true. I have a lot of cases transferred to me when another firm has not handled it the way it should have been handled from the beginning. Make sure and hire a proven Las Vegas car crash lawyer who can get you results. Read their reviews online. Call and ask for a free consultation so you can meet with the attorney and make sure you are comfortable with them. Often times you will simply meet with a paralegal. Ask yourself if you want a paralegal or an experienced Las Vegas car crash lawyer handling your case. I wouldn’t want a math teacher handling my taxes, so make sure and hire a car crash lawyer to handle your case.
Don’t wait to hire an attorney. Insurance companies have been known to try and trick you into accepting a minimal settlement before an attorney is involved. This might cost you thousands of dollars. At Rise Legal – Steve Dixon Law, we can provide complete and professional car accident, car crash, personal injury, and other injury help for victims based on our years of experience and successful results. But don’t ask us, look at our reviews. That should tell you who you need to hire. Call now for a free consultation at (702) 329-4911 or email us at steve@stevedixonlaw.com.