What steps should you take after an auto accident?

After a car accident, contacting an attorney right away is a good idea for many different reasons. Number one, the insurance companies can’t contact you directly, once you are represented. The flow of information comes through the attorney’s office, and the attorney is representing your best interests.

Insurance companies make a determination about who is at fault fairly early in the process, so providing a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurance company and answering the questions that they’re proposing without a lawyer present can be detrimental. Insurance companies are asking these questions for their own gain, for their own investigation and to limit their liability. Their goal is to protect themselves, not you.

As a car accident injury attorney, I do all the work from day one through the entire claim process. If you work with an attorney from the beginning, you can get help finding the right healthcare professionals to help the healing process and help with all other aspects of the case including property damage to your vehicle. Proper medical care is essential to a full recovery from your injuries.

Clients can harm their case by trying to do the work on their own in the beginning. When clients call a lawyer after this has happened, the case can be more complicated. It is best to call a lawyer after the initial accident to avoid these issues. A significant part of the value of the case is the nature of the medical care received by the injured party. Oftentimes there are large gaps in medical treatment when an attorney is not involved because somebody doesn’t understand medical terminology and insurance procedures. They may not think they have enough insurance to cover the cost of medical care: They’re usually wrong about that.

The insurance company is going to look at what you can prove, not the reality of the injury. What you can prove comes from the evidence generated in part from the medical record. That’s one thing that we pride ourselves on, choreographing each file and healing care so you can fully heal from your injuries. If your injuries are not healing from one type of treatment, we’ll help get you the medical care you need. We have working relationships with many healthcare providers to assist you in getting the medical attention you need.

Because we are personal injury lawyers in small communities, we have formed unique relationships with many healthcare providers who have agreed to accept payment from you at the end of your case. Many lawyers don’t have that relationship.

After you’re injured in an accident, the quicker you call an attorney the better. We only get paid at the end of the case, a percentage of the total value of the case.