Do's and Don'ts After an Auto Accident in Kansas City

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

DON’T:

• Fail to get the medical treatment that you need. If you are involved in an auto accident and don’t have health coverage you will most likely have personal injury protection benefits. Depending on the applicable automobile insurance policy, some PIP benefit plans far exceed the statutory minimum amount of coverage, which will likely be $4500 under Kansas Law. If any medical conditions related to the car accident trauma are left undiagnosed, it can be deadly. You might as well take advantage of the PIP coverage if applicable, as in most cases, because it’s better to be safe than sorry if your accident caused any pain or jarring to your body.
• Talk to the liability insurance adjuster for the other driver’s insurance company. Well-trained adjusters will develop a rapport with you to settle your case early, for as little compensation as possible. You will usually be required by the adjuster to provide a statement of the facts. The adjusters will often use leading questions in an attempt to obtain an account of the facts that are not helpful to your case for compensation. This statement will often be used against you later in the case by the insurance companies, or their lawyers, if you realize that you have undiscovered injuries or find the settlement is unfair.
• Settle your case without talking to an experienced personal injury lawyer. Most people are less likely to know the value of their cases, which insurance companies count on. This is also why they will never offer you what your case is worth. An experienced personal injury lawyer will help you navigate the many angles under the law that you may not have anticipated to give you a basic valuation of your case.

DO:

• Take pictures and write down as much as you can about the accident and your injuries. You can never have too many pictures of the accident scene because like the old adage says, a picture is worth 1000 words. The most important things to document with pictures are the vehicles and scene of the accident because sometimes the police photos of the accident scene are not kept or otherwise don’t get the complete view of the 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. The only way the details will make it to the medical records is if you provide them. If you claim to have had greater injuries than are documented in the medical records, the insurance company will stick to the records and not believe you.
• Keep as many of your medical bills and medical records as you’re able to collect. It never hurts to save a trail of your medical bills and records to reference in the future.
• Call Mann Wyatt Tanksley Injury Attorneysof Kansas City for an initial consultation and review of your case at no cost. Between the lawyers in our firm, we have handled thousands of cases over our years of practice and now we only handle injury cases. We will give you an honest evaluation of your case based on our experience and expertise.