In the days following your car accident, you should:
- Seek follow-up medical care
- Call the team for a lawyer to find out how they can help
- File any reports that could maintain your eligibility for bringing a lawsuit
- Ask your lawyer about how to handle your insurance claim
- Document your injuries and other accident-related losses
You may need to report injuries from your accident through formal channels. A lawyer may be aware of relevant deadlines and procedures and may help you ensure that you check every box to maintain your options for seeking compensation at a later date.
Tending to Your Health Is Critical
Injuries are among the most serious possible consequences when a car accident occurs. If you or a loved one were injured in your car accident, then you may have accepted medical attention at the scene of your accident. However, you may benefit from seeking additional medical care.
Seeking medical attention may:
- Ensure that all of your injuries are diagnosed and treated
- Protect you from symptoms of injuries, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI)—which the Mayo Clinic explains may not be apparent immediately following your accident
- Provide an initial plan for recovery
- Allow you to document all of the injuries that you suffered because of the accident, and the care that you received to diagnose and treat those injuries
Your lawyer’s responsibility as they seek compensation may be to show that your injuries were the result of your accident. Seeking medical attention in the days just following the accident may help your lawyer make the case that the collision you experienced and the injuries you are suffering from are directly linked.
Insurance May Be a Post-Accident Consideration
In addition to seeking medical care, you may have to face certain responsibilities related to insurance in the aftermath of your collision. You may choose not to make any statements to insurance agents until you have hired a lawyer, however.
Yahoo! Finance notes how auto insurance companies made $285 billion in revenue in 2019, and they may turn that revenue into profit by paying out less money than they take in as premiums. One or more insurance companies involved in your accident may have a clear interest in paying you as little as possible. Your lawyer can defend you from an insurance company’s questionable practices.
Some of the tactics that you may experience could include:
- Rushing you to make an on-the-record statement when you may not have had adequate time to compose your thoughts
- Steering you in a direction to take the blame for the accident, even if you are not at fault
- Offering you a lowball settlement offer, hoping that you will accept a quick settlement rather than hold out for a fair offer
- Using lawyers, stall tactics, and other approaches to nudge you towards accepting a settlement that does not compensate you fairly
Having a lawyer to represent you may protect you from experiencing these tactics firsthand. Your lawyer will handle insurance settlement negotiations. They will also inform you of other options for seeking compensation if an insurance settlement does not come to be.
A Lawsuit May Be a Path to Compensation
If it happens that insurance is not a possible means for you to receive fair compensation, then your lawyer may file a lawsuit on your behalf. If you have lost a loved one from a car accident, then your lawyer may file a wrongful death lawsuit. If an injury is the result of your accident, then you can file a personal injury lawsuit.
A lawyer will handle all possible aspects of your lawsuit until the case is resolved. This may call for your lawyer to:
- Identify each party who has liability for your accident and losses
- Determine the legal standard by which each party is liable
- Gather evidence supporting your case
- Record witness accounts of your accident
- Document your injuries as proof of your losses
- Handle all lawsuit-related communications
- Negotiate a settlement
- Complete a trial or file an appeal, if necessary
The American Bar Association explains that the substantial majority of civil lawsuits result in a settlement, and that may be the outcome that your lawsuit results in as well. Your lawyer will be prepared to make your case for awards regardless of the specific route that your lawsuit takes.
Call the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP Today
Our team will fight for the compensation that you or your loved one deserve after a car accident in New York. Call the Law Office of Cohen & Jaffe, LLP today at (516) 358-6900 for a free consultation about how we can help you.
Do not wait to call us, as you may have a limited window to pursue compensation after a New York car accident. Knowing what you should do in the days following your car accident, please reach out to our team so that we can get started on protecting your interests.
For a free legal consultation, call 516-358-6900
The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information and may not be applicable in your jurisdiction.
