Car Accident Lawyer Long Island NY
You’ve had a car accident and you’re not sure what you should do first – call a car accident lawyer Long Island NY knows best or call your insurance company? While we certainly recommend that you call a personal injury lawyer Long Island NY trusts in the earliest practicable moments after an accident, we also know reporting the claim to your insurance company is important. So, if you choose to communicate with your insurance company prior to hiring a lawyer or without the help of a lawyer, keep in mind some of the below pointers so that you do not do damage to your case, should you decide to pursue one.
Talking to Your Insurance Company
Let’s go over the list of basic things you should try to remember when speaking with your insurance company:
- Don’t give a statement “on the record” or in a recorded environment. Insurance companies request to record you because they know that they can use your own statements against you should the matter go to court at some point. Oftentimes, people are nervous when speaking with an insurance company, or perhaps may be feeling “cloudy” due to pain medications taken for injuries resulting from the accident. A person may even still be in something of a “state of shock” after an accident. All of these scenarios can lead to a statement that may be a little less clear than intended. This is a good example of why it is best advised that you enlist the aid of a personal injury lawyer Long Island NY relies on to handle any communication with the insurance company.
- Don’t admit, or point blame in an accident or say anything superfluous. Just state the facts as plainly and as simply as possible. For example: The other driver hit me fro the rear while we were both driving west on Maple Street.
- Don’t settle a claim too quickly or too early in the process, especially if you’re not working with a lawyer. While it’s true that there is a limited amount of time to file your claim (also called the statute of limitations), there is no reason to settle an accident matter within weeks of it occurring, and do not even consider settling it without consulting a lawyer if injuries are ongoing or there is a permanent disfigurement or injury. At this point, please be sure that you reach out to one of Long Island, NY’s most respected personal injury lawyers and seek counsel.
- Do try to take as many photographs of the scene, the vehicles and any injuries and share them with the insurance company at the appropriate time. If you are working with a car accident lawyer Long Island NY respects, he/she will greatly appreciate this type of information and will forward the photos to the insurance company when necessary.
- Do make sure that you if have a police report of the incident that you provide that to the insurance company. Especially, if the incident wasn’t your fault or you were the victim of an accident that occurred when the other party was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. A police report will provide a great deal of information to the insurance company; information you will not have to orally provide to them as the insurance company can simply refer to the official report.
Contact A Car Accident Lawyer Long Island NY Can Trust
While it is possible to report and settle a claim stemming from an auto accident without the help of a lawyer, we strongly recommended that you do not do that but rather that you retain the services of a personal injury lawyer Long Island NY respects to talk to your insurance company on your behalf so that your rights and best interests are protected.