It’s easy to be overwhelmed when you’re hit by another car and it’s time to start preparing your case. You don’t want to end up making a bad situation worse by doing the wrong things early on. Making the wrong move at this stage could cost you money and time, not to mention that it might cause your case to be delayed or even dismissed later on. This article outlines some important steps you should undertake when preparing a car accident case.
Hire A Lawyer
As car accident cases can become complicated, technical, and overwhelming if you try to make things work yourself. That is why it is wise for you to hire a car accident lawyer from Perth who has experience with car accidents claims. A lawyer will know what evidence is needed to prove your car accident case in court, what claims you can file, and what laws apply. An experienced car accident lawyer will be able to provide you with proper legal advice and represent your case in court. You can choose a lawyer yourself or ask the insurer for a list of recommended lawyers who specialize in representing clients who have been involved in a traffic accident. The law society also may be able to refer you to an appropriate lawyer depending on where you were involved in the road accident.
It is good to find out about the lawyer before hiring them. When interviewing potential car accident lawyers, you must find out about their experience and success rate as these factors will help determine how successful they will be at negotiating on your behalf for compensation for injuries sustained as a result of your road traffic accident injury claim.
Take Pictures Of Everything That Can Be Documented
According to an auto accident lawyer, you can’t do a car accident case preparation without taking pictures. Take photos of everything around you including the car’s interior and exterior, your injuries, the scene of the car accident, car damage, car parts, car fluids or stains on the car, car manufacturer data plates. You must take photos of where you were when the car accident happened. Also, note any underlying issues with the car that may have contributed to the car accident case. If possible, take close-up shots of all physical injuries alleged in your car accident case.
Make sure to include how long the injuries have lasted and if any scars will help support your claim for damages. There should be a legal reason for each photo taken and it could be used as evidence if needed at trial.
Call Your Insurance Company And Report The Car Accident Immediately
Do not let your car insurance company find out about an incident that occurred on their policy by reading about it online or seeing it on TV. Call them as soon as possible (and no later than within 24 hours) and tell them what happened. Doing so will help ensure that your claim is not denied because you failed to notify them on time.
Once you’ve notified your insurance company, they should ask if you would like to file a police report. Though filing a report will not automatically make them take your claim seriously (in fact, the opposite may be true). Give them as much information as possible such as your name, their insured’s name (if you know it), the date and location of the car accident, any injuries sustained and medical treatment received.
Take Good Notes When Recording Your Statement
Before you speak with anyone about what happened in an accident, take some time to write down all of the information related to how it occurred so that you can refer back to your notes later. If any witnesses are present, ask them to write down what they saw as well so that you have their accounts on record. After preparing for this interview by writing out a summary of events and taking notes on anything anybody else might say during the discussion, send copies of these documents (and any other evidence) directly over to your insurance company. Atlanta auto accident claim attorneys can also help you deal with your insurance company.
Doing so demonstrates that you were serious about filing a claim and takes away some of the pressure from discussing over the phone. Once you’ve submitted your initial claim information and gathered additional evidence, get ready to go through an adjustment process. This is where it will get tricky because many people who file claims are not prepared for the insurance company’s tactics.
Insurance Adjusters Are Not Your Friends
Adjusters are trained to use a tactic called “low-balling” whenever they deal with a claim. They will try to get you to admit that your carelessness, lack of attention, or failure to follow traffic laws caused the incident. This process involves offering the car accident victim an unfair settlement amount that is much less than what he or she deserves from the insurance company. The adjuster’s goal is not to pay you as much money as possible, but rather to wear you down so that you accept their offer and walk away from your claim happy with just a few hundred dollars even though you have the right to thousands of dollars in compensation for injuries and other financial losses.
Never agree to anything until you have discussed all options with a personal injury attorney who understands how the claims process works. Having legal representation throughout this entire ordeal can help ensure that your rights will be protected. If you have been involved in a car accident, it is important to follow these steps so that your claim is filed immediately and the odds are stacked in your favor when negotiations begin.
Following these steps can simplify the process so that it does not become overwhelming. This means having all of the necessary documents ready for filing with an insurance company immediately after the event has taken place, as well as gathering any evidence that was present at the time such as pictures and witness testimony. Keep Good Notes, Take high-quality pictures of the event and consult an experienced personal injury attorney because they will help you understand how the claims process works, and make sure that your interests are always protected and no illegal or unethical tactics will come into use by insurance adjusters or anyone else who might try to cause trouble for you.