What to Do After a Car Accident to Protect Your Right to Compensation

How to Protect Your Right to Compensation After a Car Accident

When you suffer serious injuries in an accident, the priority is to ensure your own safety. The first step to protecting your right to compensation is to prioritize getting medical attention. Depending on the seriousness of your initial visible injuries, you’ll likely get an initial checkup by EMTs at the scene or by a doctor after being taken in an ambulance. 

However, it’s vital to seek medical attention even if your injuries appear to be minor. Those initial treatments can prevent your injuries from worsening and help ensure you’ve done the first thing to build a strong claim. Other important components to keep in mind to protect your right to compensation include:

Don’t Admit Fault 

It can be natural to want to apologize when something bad happens, even if you had nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, apologizing after a car accident can be seen as an admission of fault. Not admitting fault isn’t just about not saying you played a role in the accident; it requires you to be very careful with your words. 

When you work with an experienced attorney, they take over and speak with insurance adjusters and the at-fault driver, saving you from accidentally saying the wrong thing. They can also advise you on the best way to approach a situation when you are asked to speak.

Follow Treatment Instructions 

Having strong medical evidence of your injuries is not just about the initial medical reports. Those reports are the first step and a great building block. However, if your injury requires follow-up visits and a treatment plan, it’s vital that you follow the instructions given to you by your doctor. This helps build a history of your injuries and proves not only their existence, but the influence that the injuries have had on your life, which can be used as evidence that you are entitled to maximum medical compensation. 

Document Your Damages

Your attorney will make sure to document everything you need to build your claim. However, it’s still important that you keep track of your damages. This may look like taking note of:

• The diagnostic test (MRIs, CT scans) from the initial doctor visits
• What are your injuries and your pain level
• Conversation with the other drivers and their insurance 
• Dates and times that are significant to the accident
• Your claim number
• Insurance adjuster on your claim 
• Medical bills
• Treatment plan
• Receipts for costs associated with the accident

Keep all information relevant to your claim in a folder that can be easily accessed to ensure your information is accounted for and ready to be used when necessary.