You need to inform your insurer of the accident as soon as possible. Within 24 hours, if you are able to.
When you’re in a serious car accident in Utah the shock is so great you won’t have time to think what to do. No doubt, the first thing you need to worry about is your health. Are you hurt? How bad is it? You’ll also have to see about the other passengers in your car and the people in the other cars involved. Certainly, this is not a good time to be thinking about money but the success of a personal injury claim depends on what you do right after the accident.
Call the police
If there are people injured you must call 911 to request medical help. You’ll also want the police on the scene. Later on, when you talk to a seasoned Utah accident lawyer they will want to examine the police report to see who they blame for the accident. This is essential for your damage claim. If you are questioned by the police, answer truthfully but do not volunteer any sort of information that might suggest admission of guilt. Likewise, when you talk to the other driver and any persons present at the scene. Remember that if the case goes to court at some point anything you might say in the heat of the moment might be used against you and the other party might even have a video recording of the exchange.
Document the scene
Speaking of videos, make sure to take as many pictures as possible of the cars, preferably before they are moved to the side of the road. Also, get the names and contact information of all those present. When you present your case to a Salt Lake City accident attorney, they’ll want to interview eyewitnesses, especially if the circumstances of the accident are unclear and there are doubts about liabilities.
See a doctor
When you make a personal injury claim, don’t be surprised if the insurance adjuster starts saying that you may have had health issues before the crash and you’re now trying to pass them off as accident-related. Keep all medical records and, of course, all the bills. Your accident lawyer will need every last one of them when it’s time to calculate the economic damages you deserve.
By the way, the same goes for your car. Get your mechanic to prepare an estimate cost of the repairs, if your car is not totaled that is. These costs fall under economic damages as well.
Let your lawyer do the talking
You need to inform your insurer of the accident as soon as possible. Within 24 hours, if you are able to. Keep that call short and don’t let the agent trick you into talking about the circumstances of the accident. They are not sorry for you. That is not concern you hear in their voice. They are trained to ask as many questions as possible so that they may learn things they could use to minimize the value of your claim.
Let them know that your lawyer will be in touch. It’s a subtle way of warning them that you have a professional watching out for you so they shouldn’t try any of their usual tricks.
Insurance adjusters are much more likely to offer a decent settlement when they learn there’s a lawyer involved as they sure don’t want to be dragged into a lengthy lawsuit, which might generate a lot of bad publicity.
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