While we wish it were not the case, each day in the US features numerous vehicle accidents, some of which are invariably caused by negligence of one party or another. Such incidents will incur numerous bills in areas like medical treatment, vehicle repairs and other kinds of property damage, and those dealing with such issues will often be involved in filing personal injury claims as a result.
At the offices of William Rawlings & Associates, we know many of the individuals involved in these cases are entirely new to this world, and our auto accident attorneys are here to help ensure you don’t make one of several potential mistakes during this process as you attempt to secure your just compensation. This two-part blog will go over several such errors you want to avoid if you believe you’ve been the victim of a vehicle accident due to someone else’s negligence and may have a claim against them, starting with some important themes for the scene of the crash.
For starters, there’s a vital legal aspect involved in vehicle accidents. If you leave too quickly, such as before police or other responders arrive, this could be viewed as a hit-and-run and a warrant could be issues for your arrest – even if you were not the at-fault driver in the accident.
In addition, however, remaining at the scene holds several practical benefits. It gives you time to shake off any shock or discombobulation from the accident, then to collect evidence and document everything you can from the scene. You should have time to take pictures, write down important info (names, license plates, witness contact info, etc.) and otherwise ensure you have the proper information necessary.
Once you’ve properly documented the scene – or even before, if your injuries are significant enough – you should be seeking proper medical attention, both at the scene and potentially at the hospital following the cleanup. On top of your own well-being, there are legal issues at play here: Your case may not be viewed as strongly if you waited to seek medical attention.
Down similar lines, there may be limits in place on how long you have to file your liability claim. It’s important to move quickly to avoid such limiting statutes.
In the days and weeks following the incident but preceding a trial or settlement in your filed case, you must resist the urge to post about the case on public forums like social media or elsewhere. You never know if something you say might impact the viability of the case or your claim. Defense attorneys will absolutely scour for this sort of thing, and we’ve seen multiple cases directly impacted or even thrown out altogether because of something silly a plaintiff said that contradicted or otherwise undermined their case.
For more on the errors to avoid in a vehicle accident personal injury claim, or to learn about any of our personal injury attorney service, speak to the staff at the offices of William Rawlings & Associates.