If you’ve been in a car wreck, you’ll want to be prepared to deal with the inevitable fallout. This will include dealing with the police, dealing with whomever you owe money as a result of the wreck and, sometimes, dealing with a negligent driver. Remember the following tips.
Contact a Lawyer First
Contact a car accident lawyer as soon as you can. They’ll be able to tell you whether or not a lawsuit is an option for you. A car accident lawyer drivers can hire can sometimes be paid on a contingency basis. This means that you don’t pay them unless they get a settlement or a jury award. If you’re worried about whether or not you can afford an attorney, this is the best way to go about it and to make sure that you do get great representation.
Keep Everything
Every note, bill, police report and other piece of information you get relating to your claim should be kept. Your attorney may need these later on. They can usually get all the information they need but, if you have it already, you cut down on the time it takes them to put your case together and, of course, on your legal fees as a result of that!
Don’t Talk to the Other Driver
The other driver may try to contact you. Do not communicate with them without consulting your attorney first. Most of the time, your attorney will want to handle communications for you. If you talk to the other driver, you may end up saying something that could cause a problem for your lawsuit, which is what you do not want to do under any circumstances.
Don’t Take a Check
If you get offered a check by the other driver, don’t take it. You’ll find that some drivers will have enough money to offer you a settlement out of their own checking account. If they do, it’s because they figure that they’re going to end up paying something to you, anyway, and they’d rather decide how much they’re going to pay you than leave that up to a jury.
Your attorney can help you negotiate a settlement if that’s what the defendant wants. If you take a check from the defendant without asking your attorney, you are most certainly putting yourself in a situation where you’re likely to be at the disadvantage and where you’ll be under compensated.
