Accidents can happen anywhere. Whether it be on the way to work or coming home from the grocery store, you never can tell when something is going to happen. In the event you were in an accident, there are a few things you need to do to make sure you don't miss out on filing a personal injury claim. After being in an accident, here are three things you need to do within the first 48 hours to make sure you get your case going in the right direction.
Get checked out by a medical professional.
One of the first things you want to do is get checked out by a medical professional. That way they can determine the extent of your injuries and get you the proper medications or therapies to get you on the road to recovery. This also documents what happened because of the accident to make sure the insurance company doesn't try to claim that the injuries were from something else. If you never go in and get checked out, there is no way you can claim injuries from the accident because there is no proof on file. You also might have injuries that are worse than you thought.
Consult with an attorney.
Retain legal counsel as quickly as possible. You don't want to attempt to handle any injury claims on your own. In doing so, you could end up shorting yourself on the total settlement amount for your claim. The personal injury attorney will also make sure you don't answer any questions that you shouldn't.
Start the insurance claims process.
After you have been checked out by a medical professional, you want to put the call in to your insurance company and start the claims process going. Let them know where your vehicle is located so they can send an adjuster out to look at it for you and determine if it is salvageable or not. Then, if you have the added coverage on your policy, make arrangements to get a rental vehicle while your claim is underway. Next, let them know what type of injuries you are dealing with and how long you are to be off work recovering. Make sure you make this call in the presence of your attorney to prevent being duped or coerced into anything.
By going through the information above, you can make sure you get the settlement you deserve and your injury claim is handled properly.
