Picture the following scenario: you are waiting on a stoplight when a careless driver backs into you, lurching your car forward. After you survey both vehicles, you realize that the damage is minimal and both parties seem to be fine so you proceed to file your insurance claim as expected, accounting for the minor repairs that will be required.
Weeks later, you have developed constant pain in your neck, extending towards your upper back. This makes turning your head difficult, which is making it difficult to go to work and perform other required day-to-day tasks. Confident that this injury is related to your recent accident, you proceed to file another claim with your insurance company. Unfortunately, they reject this new claim as a previous claim had already been accepted, leaving you to foot the bill of any medical expenses and deal with these unexpected implications.
This scenario is much more common than you’d think. For this reason, we at the Law Offices of Dean Petrulakis always advocate that you take proper steps after any type of accident in order to ensure complications down the line. Be sure to keep the following tips in mind, and for more detailed legal advice, we invite you to reach out to us at your earliest convenience.
Steps to After a Car Accident
As always, the first step to take after an accident is to ensure that nobody requires emergency care, and to reach out to the proper authorities. In addition, we cannot stress the importance of documentation. Survey all damage carefully, and take as many pictures and jot down as many notes as possible to ensure consistency in everyone’s stories.
It is also critical that you take the time to visit a doctor. Many injuries such as whiplash are not always immediately obvious, and a qualified healthcare professional can assess you from top-to-bottom to offer an in-depth analysis of the implications of your accident. If a claims adjustor wants to know the extent of your injuries as soon as possible, it is perfectly valid to say “I’m not sure yet,” or simply “I don’t know.”
Reach out to a Trusted Personal Injury Attorney
Above all, remember to reach out to a skilled personal injury attorney, someone who can advocate for your interests during every step of the way. To learn more about how we can help, and to speak to a qualified personal injury attorney, call us at the Law Offices of Dean Petrulakis at your earliest convenience.
