What Happens After a Car Accident in Mesa, Arizona?
What To Do Immediately After The Accident
As you may already know, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime, so make sure you stop to assess injury and property damage after being in a traffic accident. The other driver could be in an emergency condition and unable to call their own ambulance. You also need to exchange insurance policy information with the other driver. If you call the police to the scene, they can issue a police report regarding the accident. This might end up being a crucial piece of evidence in your eventual injury claim.
Many of us have busy lives and a tendency to work through pain. This is an instinct you should ignore if you’ve just been in an accident. You should see a doctor as soon as possible and follow their instructions, including staying home from work if necessary. You will need to contact the other driver’s insurance company to begin the claims process, but it may be best to speak to a Mesa injury lawyer first.
I Don’t Feel Any Pain. Should I Accept Medical Treatment?
There are several reasons besides a high pain tolerance that you might not feel pain after an accident. The crash could’ve given you a jolt of adrenaline, which can delay pain’s effects. You might have an injury like whiplash, which could take several days for symptoms to manifest. You could even have a TBI or similar injury where the injury itself impairs your ability to detect it. All of these are reasons that you should seek prompt medical attention after an accident.
A doctor’s examination can validate everything you are feeling after an accident, whether it’s pain and stress, or the need to stay home from work and rest. You might need to keep weight off your injury or could even see huge relief from small things like ice packs and naps. Continuing appointments can show that you are following instructions and how much impact the injuries are having on your life. Your medical record could have a substantial impact on your personal injury award’s value.
What Types of Damages Can I Be Compensated For in a Personal Injury Claim?
You need to assess all of your damages before bringing your claim to the other driver’s insurance company. You probably already know you can be compensated for your property damage and medical bills, but there are so many other potential damages that could be relevant in your case. When you bring a personal injury claim for injuries that will last several years or for life, you need to include your anticipated medical costs in your claim as well. The same goes for if your injuries cause you to miss work. Not only do you need to include your lost wages, but any lost wages you anticipate in the future as well as lost overall earning potential.
The damages described above are economic, as they have clear financial values. You can also be compensated for non-economic damages in a personal injury claim. There are several specific kinds of non-economic damages, but the most pursued one is pain and suffering. Pain and suffering compensates you for exactly what it says it does. It is a broad damage for all the physical and mental trauma the accident caused you. It is usually calculated using the multiplier method. Here, you will first find the sum of your economic damages. This sum will be multiplied by a number that is usually between one and five. This number represents factors like the extent of your injuries, the other party’s conduct, etc. You should contact an Avondale personal injury attorney for help estimating the potential pain and suffering damages in your claim.
Should I Provide The Insurance Adjuster With a Recorded Statement?
There are no court-appointed attorneys in personal injury claims. That means that if you want legal representation, you’re going to have to go out and get it yourself. There are certain court procedures you will need to follow if your case proceeds to trial. But unless you have an attorney representing you, the insurance company knows you aren’t that serious about taking your claim to trial. That means you’ll have to follow their procedures.
Even if your insurance adjuster seems nice and friendly, their purpose is to get you to drop your claim or settle it for as low as possible. Insurance companies have a variety of tactics to make sure this happens with self-represented claims. You will be made to feel as if your case has an impending deadline despite having months or even years left on your statute of limitations. They might deny some of your injuries or treatments or claim that you were at fault for the accident. You will also be under pressure to give a recorded statement about the accident. Slipping up on the details here could damage your claim’s value. The insurance company likely won’t settle your claim without this statement if you are self-represented. However, once a client retains an injury lawyer, the insurance company must only contact the lawyer about the claim.
Is The Settlement Offer From The Other Driver’s Insurance Company Fair?
Occasionally, we’ll review a settlement offer for a self-represented injury claimant and tell them it’s a good deal, and they don’t need our help. This typically only occurs in small accidents with minor injuries and low values. But the more severe your injuries, the more likely it is you will benefit from a skilled injury attorney. Your Tucson personal injury attorney can ensure you are fairly compensated for your injuries through an out-of-court agreement or through trial if necessary.
Insurance adjusters will often downplay how serious your accident was, and how much medical treatment and time from work is necessary for you to recover. They often undercompensate for non-economic damages like pain and suffering to reduce the claim’s total value. If you want to know if your Arizona injury settlement offer is fair, you should have it independently reviewed by a Glendale personal injury lawyer. For your free consultation with our firm, call 480-833-8000.
Skilled Mesa Personal Injury Lawyers With Guaranteed Low Rates
You only have one shot at a personal injury claim to collect all the compensation you are due. The amount you receive could be crucial to getting your family’s life back on track if you were seriously injured in an accident. But the opposing party’s insurance company doesn’t have that same goal in mind. Most injury claimants need experienced and reliable representation from lawyers who know the industry.
The injury team at Mesa Injury Lawyers, has represented countless injury claimants in Mesa. We help our clients recover funds that help them receive medical treatment, get current on bills and debts from missing work, and ease the pain and inconvenience of dealing with a car accident in general. Our lawyers take every step possible to make sure that even after our fees, you end up with more money in your bank account than if you had gone it alone- or with one of our competitors. Many injury lawyers will take up to one third or more of your award as payment. Our team charges a guaranteed rate of 25%, a potential savings of 8% or more. To learn more about our low cost personal injury advantage, contact us by filling out our online form or call to schedule your free consultation at 480-833-8000.
Mesa Injury Lawyer
1731 West Baseline Road Suite #103
Mesa, AZ 85202
Tel: 602-600-6001
Enail: [email protected]
Website: injurylawyersmesa.com