If you’ve been involved in an injury that wasn’t your fault, knowing exactly what to do can be difficult. In fact, doing things properly might be the furthest thing from your mind! You might be feeling sad about the situation and wondering why this has happened to you – but there’s no point dwelling on what’s happened, as you can’t reverse it. An accident that isn’t your fault doesn’t mean that ‘god’ has it in for you, or that you’re a bad person. However, it’s important you handle the situation as best you can, otherwise you might not get the care and compensation you deserve. Read on to handle this situation in the best way possible:
Getting Information and Documentation
One of the most important things you need to do after an accident is get all of the information you possibly can relevant to your case! This includes all of the insurance information from all parties involved, any reports created concerning the injuries, and any documents you’ve created yourself. People sometimes even keep a disposable camera in the glovebox of their car for example, as pictures can say more than words ever could – but I’m assuming you own a camera phone! Document the accident as best you can this way.
Give Notice
You need to give the required notice to all liable parties involved. You can provide this notice yourself or hire a lawyer/solicitor/attorney to do this for you. The Chicago Injury Center have plenty of advice on this kind of thing. Hiring someone to help can take a lot of stress off you, especially if you’re supposed to be taking time to recover!
However, make sure you don’t provide the insurance companies with more than necessary. If you plan on making a claim, it’s best to complete your treatment and then present your case. This is where a legal professional can really help you as they know all about the processes. Always be aware of how much time you have left to make your claim too!
Have Realistic Expectations
You should never get greedy, so make sure you’re realistic with your expectations. You’re probably not going to be the most spectacular case your insurance company has ever seen! You more than likely won’t be able to retire with your settlement, so have realistic expectations for what you deserve taking into account your injuries, the cost of hiring a legal professional, and the cost to go to court.
Hiring a legal professional can sometimes help you to get more of your settlement. People who hire a legal professional usually have a better experience too! The sooner you get a legal professional involved, the easier things are likely to get for you, so I wouldn’t hesitate to get started straight away. Make sure you and this legal professional have the same goal and want the same outcome from the case. Give a few a call to see who suits you best.
Good luck with the outcome of your case!
