The trauma of a serious car accident has substantial impacts on all aspects of your life, from your ability to live without pain to your capacity to earn a living. Fortunately, there is help for the financial consequences of the injury through a car accident compensation claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance. However, insurance companies are profit-motivated, which means they are not on your side even if they sound concerned and compassionate when they call you. Obtaining the maximum compensation available to you in a car accident claim requires careful attention to detail, including knowing the common mistakes to avoid in a car accident claim. Our Austin car accident attorneys can help you file a compensation claim.
Not Going to a Hospital Immediately From the Accident Scene
In the adrenaline rush of surviving an accident, you may feel so elated to have survived that you only want to go home and be with your loved ones. Unfortunately, the adrenaline after a car accident can mask early signs of serious injuries. Some injuries take hours or even days to develop noticeable symptoms after the injury has caused inflammation or internal bleeding. By delaying medical treatment, not only do you increase the risk of a more damaging injury, but you also give the insurance company cause to dispute your claim. They may indicate that you cannot prove that your injuries occurred in the car accident. Our personal injury attorneys in Austin can help ensure your medical needs are prioritized.
Failing to Get the Contact Information of Eyewitnesses
Many car accidents happen in places that lack traffic cameras or nearby security cameras, making it difficult to determine the cause of the accident and who was at fault. Naturally, if you are severely injured you are probably unable to do anything but wait for help, but if you or a companion can add the contact information of any eyewitnesses, it can be the key to a successful claim. Sadly, eyewitnesses often disappear without leaving their names.
Snapping a few photos of the accident scene before law enforcement moves the vehicles out of their resting position is also beneficial.
Accepting a Fast Settlement Offer
Unfortunately, one of the early mistakes many car accident victims make may also be the end of their claim. By accepting a settlement offer, you have to sign away the right to file a lawsuit. When an insurance company knows that their policyholder is at fault for the accident, they may quickly reach out to you while you are vulnerable—often before you even know the full extent of your damages—with a fast settlement offer. This is almost always an offer for far less than the full amount available to you with a well-executed compensation claim.
Posting On Social Media
Many of us share the details of our lives with our families and online communities on social media. Unfortunately, this is often a mistake during a car accident claim. It may seem natural to post something like, “I had a terrible car accident today, but thankfully I’m all right!” even if you have injuries but are grateful to be alive. An insurance adjuster who scrutinizes your social media accounts can unearth this post and claim that you conveyed to the world that you were uninjured.
Posting photos is also a common mistake. We naturally smile for photographs, even if we are smiling through our pain, but a photo of you smiling on a beach may be presented as evidence that you are not as injured as you claim.
How Can an Austin Car Accident Attorney Help?
The biggest mistake a car accident victim in Austin can make is to fail to hire an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible after an accident—and before communicating with the at-fault party’s insurance company. Contact Shaw Cowart, LLP, Austin car accident lawyers, for skilled representation to navigate your Austin car accident claim to the best possible outcome.