Do's and Don'ts After an Auto Accident

These are the major do’s and don’ts after an auto accident that you should remember.

DON’T:

• Fail to get the medical treatment that you need. Even if you don’t have health coverage, you will most likely have personal injury protection benefits if you are involved in an auto accident. Under Kansas law, the minimum amount of coverage that will likely apply is $4500, with some PIP benefit plans far exceeding the statutory minimum depending on the applicable automobile insurance policy. Undiagnosed medical conditions related to the trauma from a car accident can be deadly. If your accident caused any pain or jarring to your body, it’s better to be safe than sorry and you might as well take advantage of the PIP coverage if applicable, as in most cases.
• Talk to the liability insurance adjuster for the other driver’s insurance company. The adjusters are well-trained to develop a rapport and attempt to settle your case early for as little compensation as possible. The adjuster will usually require that you provide a statement of the facts, which are often obtained through leading questions that are designed for you to give an account of the facts that are not helpful to your case for compensation. Later on in the case if you realize that you have undiscovered injuries or find that the settlement is unfair, often the insurance company, or its lawyer, will use this statement against you.
• Settle your case without talking to an experienced personal injury lawyer. The insurance company will never offer you what your case is worth and they count on the fact that you are less likely to know the value of your case. An experienced personal injury lawyer can give you a basic valuation of your case and tell you about many angles under the law that you may not have anticipated.

DO:

• Take pictures and write down as much as you can about the accident and your injuries. The picture is worth 1000 words and sometimes the police pictures of the accident scene are not kept or otherwise don’t get the complete view of both vehicles and the site of the car accident.
• Tell your medical care providers as much as you can about the accident, the mechanism of injury, all of the places on your body that you are experiencing pain, limited range of motion, or other symptoms related to your injuries. If you don’t provide the detail, it will never make it to the medical records and when the insurance company reviews the records after the fact, they will not believe your claims to have had greater injuries than are documented in the medical records.
• Keep as many of your medical bills and medical records as you’re able to collect. It never hurts to have a trail of your medical bills and records, as they could be valuable to look back on for information.
• Call Mann Wyatt Tanksley Injury Attorneys of Wichita for an initial consultation and review of your case at no cost. All we handle are injury cases, having handled thousands of cases over the years of practice between the lawyers in our firm. With our experience, we will give you an honest evaluation of your case.