THINGS TO DO IF YOU ARE IN A WRECK
Injury Law: Will You Get More Money if You Settle By Yourself?
I am a board certified personal injury specialist. I have devoted my entire legal career to representing individuals and families who have suffered a tragic loss, either a life-changing injury or the death of a loved one, because of the negligence of someone else. After trying numerous cases in front of juries and judges, and being entrusted with hundreds of my clients’ caes over the years, I feel confident in answering this: no.
Why?
The insurance companies representing people and businesses that have been careless, reckless and/or negligent have been trained in negotiation, claims handling, and how to get the best deal that he/she can for the insurance company. In other words, adjusters are paid to save the insurance company money, not to take care of you or your family. They do this very well, and the insurance companies’ profits are proof of this. The bottom line is that insurance companies are billion dollar companies, and they got there by making the best deals for themselves, not for you, the injured person. Insurance companies and their employees are specifically trained to know how get away with paying as little as possible to take care of you and your family, why not have someone in your corner who knows how to make sure that the insurance companies are covering all of your harms and losses? Why not have someone who will present evidence and proof of all of your harms and losses, with the goal of making you 100% whole again? Read More
MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A WRECK | Dallas, Texas Personal Injury Attorney Blog
We are often asked what are the most important things I can do if I was just involved in an auto accident? Every car wreck is different, but there are steps you can take to help protect your rights and to get your clam paid faster.
- Always take down the complete name, driver’s license, license plate, address, telephone numbers (work, home and cell) of all the people involved in the wreck, including all witnesses. Do not rely on the police report to provide this information. Sometimes the officer may decide not to write up the report after he or she leaves the scene, and you may end up without any contact information.
- Get the insurance information from all people involved in the wreck. Get the name of the insurance company, the agent, the telephone number, and policy number. It is also a good idea to take a picture of the insurance card at the scene and to see if the vehicle is listed on the insurance card and if the insurance is still valid. You can call the insurance company from the scene to report the incident and try to verify that the policy is still in effect.
- Take pictures of everything and everyone. In this day and age of camera phones, almost everyone has a camera with them at all times.
- Take pictures of the damage to all of the vehicles.
- Take pictures of the license plates to all cars involved.
- Take pictures of the roadway, skid marks, broken parts, and damage to poles, bridges or other roadside damage.
- Take pictures of your injuries.
- Take a picture of the driver’s license of every driver involved in the wreck.
- If someone appears to have been drinking, take pictures of any alcoholic beverages or other information to document those facts.
- Call the police if you are involved in an accident and get them to prepare a police report to verify that you were in a car wreck with their insured. Police reports sometimes have new addresses and telephone numbers that the insurance company does not have to reach their insured.
- If the police refuse to respond, file a Blue Form Police Report to document the details of the crash. Be sure to keep a copy.
- If you are injured, seek medical attention.
- We encourage you to seek legal advice promptly after being involved in an accident so that you understand your rights and so that the insurance company does not take advantage of you. We particularly encourage you to contact an attorney before you give any recorded statements regarding the accident. In Texas, you are not required to give a recorded statement to the liability insurance company for the person who caused the wreck. It is important to understand that the insurance company is taking your statement to see if they can find reasons to not pay you or to pay you less than you deserve.
- The claim should be promptly reported in writing to all insurance companies involved. Even if you are not at fault, you are supposed to report the accident to your own insurance company as well.
Montes Law Group, P.C.
Attorneys: Rachel Montes
1121 Kinwest Parkway, Suite 100
Irving, Texas 75063
Telephone: (214) 522-9401
Facebook @ Montes Herald Law Group, L.L.P.