Auto Accidents

10 legal tips you can use if injured in an auto accident:

1. Do not admit fault at the scene.
Statements made at the scene can be used as evidence. State laws require you exchange insurance information and cooperate with any police investigation.

2. File an accident report.
State law requires a report be filed if an injury occurs or physical damage to a vehicle exceeds $500.

3. Report the accident to your insurance agent.
Your insurance company can refuse to protect you if the accident isn't reported promptly.

4. Ask your insurance agent about benefits available to you under your own policy.
You may have coverage for car repair, rental cars, wage loss or medical bills under your policy. These benefits can be used while you wait to settle your claim with the other driver. Using these benefits will not raise your insurance rates if the accident wasn't your fault.

5. Cooperate with your insurance company.
They may need to record your version of how the accident happened. They may want to inspect your car and speak with your doctors. Refusing to cooperate with your company may cause you to lose benefits.

6. Do not, under any circumstances, sign documents for the other driver or their insurance company without seeking legal advice.
Valuable rights can be lost and you may even lose benefits under your own policy by signing.

7. Do not under any circumstances give a recorded or written statement to the other driver or their insurance company.
Lawyers uniformly advise against letting someone record your voice. No state laws require you to do so. Even if you have nothing to hide these statements can be taken out of context and used against you later.

8. Promptly seek medical care and follow your doctor's advice.
If you are injured, a failure to seek medical care and follow your doctor's advice can hurt your claim.

9. Document your medical bills and any time off work.
If you decide to make a claim against the other driver, you will need documentation supporting your losses

10. Seek legal advice early.
Most lawyers who help injury victims and their families offer a free initial consultation or no cost telephone advice. Early advice can prevent costly complications later. Consider hiring a lawyer to handle the claim. Accident victims with lawyers generally recover two to three times as much as people who try to deal with an insurance company on their own.