Child &: Gordon

Auto Accidents

If you have been in a car or truck accident, you may recover money from one or more insurance companies. You must act quickly after an accident occurs because what you do can impact your potential damages. You must make sure that if you are experiencing pain you see a medical doctor, chiropractor, or other trained medical professional immediately after the accident, and continue to seek consistent medical attention after an accident until medically released from care. Failure to do so will give the insurance carrier an argument that you really were not injured since you did not seek medical care immediately and consistently after the accident. The fact is that many injured persons feel reluctant to seek medical care immediately or consistently after an accident because they think the pain will go away, only to find two to three months later that the pain has not gone away, or has even worsened. In those cases the insurance carrier often denies the claim and accuses the person of faking their symptoms. Furthermore, by not seeing a medical professional immediately, you delay your treatment and potentially risk further injury. Remember, even minor soreness can be an indication of a serious injury in some cases. An experienced personal injury attorney will make sure that you do not lose your legal rights to compensation, and guide to through the medical process to make sure your primary treating physician is providing you the proper and appropriate medical attention, including the proper diagnosis, treatment plan, assessment of etiology for your injuries and symptoms, prognosis, and specialist referral if necessary. Automobile accidents can lead to a tidal wave of legal issues, medical issues, insurance forms, reports, medical bills, etc. Contact us immediately after an accident, and we will take care of all of them for your, and answer your questions clearly and concisely so that you can relax and worry about getting properly treated instead of having to deal with an insurance adjuster.

Important Things You Should Do When an Accident Has Occurred:

1. Insist that a report be filed with the police, sheriff or highway patrol. Obtain the name, address, insurance information, vehicle license number and driver's license number of everyone involved in the accident. Also get the names, addresses and telephone numbers of all witnesses. Photograph the accident scene, including all vehicles involved (before repairing) and any visible injuries (e.g., cuts, bruises). Talk to no one about the accident or injuries except your doctor or lawyer, especially not an insurance adjuster. DO NOT SIGN anything without talking to a personal injury lawyer first. Truthful statements made in an attempt to be helpful can easily be misinterpreted and turned against you.
2. Get medical attention immediately and tell your doctors exactly how the injury occurred and make sure they write it down (some doctors are terrible at writing down the cause of your injuries). Describe all symptoms and complaints, no matter how minor they may seem at the time. Sometimes you may have an area of extreme pain in one area that is diverting your immediate attention away from a far more serious long term injury in another area, thus you need to be thorough and complete about every pain and symptom you feel from the beginning. Be sure to report any bruising, scratches, abrasions, pain in the neck or low back, numbness and tingling in your arms or legs, pain in your arms or legs, loss of consciousness, memory problems, confusion or disorientation, however minor these things may seem at the time. Don’t be afraid to ask for x-rays, MRIs, or other scans to objectively verify your injuries. Take pictures of bruising, scratches or other visible injuries.
3. If you physically cannot perform your work duties, or need to alter your work environment to accommodate your injuries, always get a physicians note, even if you believe the issue is self evident. Insurance carriers may refuse to pay you for your lost wages without it, no matter how serious your injuries were, causing unnecessary litigation.
4. Retain an attorney as soon as possible. There are simply too many issues in any given case that must be tailored to the individual, and that cannot possibly be stated here. Our attorneys and legal team knows the legal system, the way insurance companies work, what type of empirical evidence you need, and how to assist you every step of the way. We will navigate you through this process in a timely, friendly and effective manner.