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Getting injured in an accident is a painful, time-consuming, and costly experience. Whether you have been in a car crash or a slip-and-fall accident, there are certain steps that you should take to expedite your recovery and get the money you need for your medical care from the insurance company.
What To Do At The Scene
Having an accident can be very upsetting. It is hard to keep your emotions together, and you might even go into shock. However, if you do certain things at the scene of the accident, you will have an easier time receiving compensation.
In a car accident, you must pull over to the side of the road and check if there are any injuries. If anyone is hurt or there has been considerable damage to property, you must call the police and wait for them to arrive.
Get the names of any witnesses who may have seen the accident and take pictures if you can. When the police get there, simply tell them what happened. You should never admit guilt at the scene of an accident. Request a copy of the accident report, and when you get it, make sure all of its information is accurate and the times and dates are correct.
When an ambulance arrives at the scene, you should let the paramedics treat you and go to the hospital with them if they recommend it. Even if you feel fine after an accident, you should still go to see your doctor. There are some injuries that you might not feel right away.
If you are injured in a slip-and-fall accident at a business, you should look around to find out what caused you to fall. If you fell over an object discarded in a walkway or slipped on a wet floor, the company’s insurance should pay for it.
Notify the manager right away, and they will fill out an accident report. They must also give you their insurance information. As with a car accident, get the names and numbers of any witnesses who may have seen the incident and take pictures of the accident scene if you can. Never refuse medical treatment. If you are injured in a person’s home, you should get the person’s homeowner’s insurance information.
Keep a Record of Your Treatments
According to Personal injury lawyers Ogg, Murphy & Perkosky, you should keep a record of every medical bill you get and ask the doctor to write you a report about your progress. If you have to get physical therapy, ask your physical therapist to write you a report as well. You should also keep records of any alternative treatments you use, such as massage or flotation therapy.
Be sure to save a copy of every bill that you get, even if your health insurance has paid for it. Save the receipts from any medicine you take, whether prescription or non-prescription.
Some people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after a very bad accident, while others may suffer acute depression. If you need psychiatric treatment because of your accident, save a record of the bills from your sessions as well. You should get the mental health professional you see to write you a report. It never hurts to keep a diary of your daily life when you have experienced an accident.
You should not only record your thoughts and feelings about your injuries, but also any activities you cannot participate in due to your injuries.
Record Any Loss of Income
If you have your doctor’s appointment in the middle of the day, chances are you will have to miss some work. Ask the HR department of your company to write you a letter stating the number of hours that you have missed and the amount of income you have lost. If you were unable to participate in important work or company events, they should include that in the letter.
Accidents can leave you in too much pain to do housework or drive. If you could not do housework and needed help, you should save a copy of the bills for the housekeeper service. You should save Uber or Lyft receipts as well.
If you had to miss an important event because of your accident, save evidence of that. For example, if you bought plane tickets, you should make a copy of your credit card bill.
Contact Your Insurance Company
There are two different kinds of auto insurance rules in the United States: fault and no fault. In a fault state, the person who is responsible for the accident is also responsible for its bills. In a no-fault state, your insurance will pay for your accident no matter who caused the accident.
The state of Pennsylvania follows the no-fault rule. When you have a car accident, you will contact your insurance company and report the collision to them. They will have ten days to respond to your claim. When they respond, they will ask you to provide them with all the documentation you have of the accident and your bills. The sooner you send in your information, the sooner they will be able to investigate your case, which will be assigned to an insurance adjuster. They will then have 15 days to investigate your claim and decide whether or not they will compensate you for the accident.
If you were injured in a slip-and-fall accident at a business, you should contact the business’s insurance company. They will investigate the claim and let you know whether or not it has been accepted or denied.
If your insurance claim is accepted, they will offer you a settlement amount. It is extremely important to contact a personal injury attorney before you accept any settlement offer.
Contact an Attorney
Whether an insurance company accepts your claim or not, you should contact an attorney and set up an appointment for a free consultation. If the insurance company has denied your claim, the lawyer can examine the facts of your case and tell you if they think you should sue. If an insurance company has made you an offer, a personal injury lawyer will be able to tell you if that offer is fair.
More often than not, the insurance company’s first offer will not be fair. Your attorney will contact the insurance company and negotiate with them on your behalf. They should be able to negotiate a fair settlement but if they can’t, they will be able to represent you if you file a lawsuit. You should bring all the documentation that you have collected when you visit your attorney. Be sure to hire a reputable attorney who can provide you with references.
It is never easy to get over the physical and psychological trauma that an accident can cause. However, if you document your case well and hire a very good personal injury attorney, you should get the money you need to move on with your life.
