Unfortunately, car accident injuries are an all too common occurrence in the US. With approximately 6 million accidents occurring each year, fully half of them result in injuries, some of them serious or even catastrophic, to drivers and passengers. In other words, the more you drive, the more risk you face of becoming a car accident injury victim.
If and when this happens, it goes without saying that you need to obtain immediate medical intervention. You likely will not be in the best position to assess your own injuries or their extent and seriousness. Consequently, you should readily agree to be transported to a hospital if the first responders to your accident recommend such a course of action.
Medical Evaluation
Emergency room physicians are trained to assess car crashes and other traumatic injuries. They know what tests you should undergo so as to diagnose your injuries and the extent and seriousness of them. Your need for such expert evaluation cannot be overstated.
For instance, what you may think of as a minor bump on your head may instead be a traumatic brain injury requiring immediate diagnosis and treatment. Tingling or numbness in your legs could be due to a spinal cord injury requiring immediate surgery.
Do not assume that just because you feel no extreme pain, you have not sustained a serious injury. Only a qualified health care provider can give you the medical care required to substantiate your self-diagnosis – or prove it wrong.
Contacting an Attorney
Should your injuries prove to be substantial, you should also consider contacting an experienced local auto accident lawyer like one from Ward & Ward Law Firm as soon as reasonably possible. Why? Because then you have a knowledgeable professional in your corner. His or her value can become more or less immediately apparent if and when you receive a call from the other driver’s auto insurance representative.
Unfortunately, such calls are not at all uncommon and often occur while you’re still in the hospital. While the caller may seem empathetic with and sympathetic to your injuries, keep in mind that he or she is not your friend. Instead, his or her primary function is to talk you into accepting a low settlement offer in exchange for signing legal documents releasing the company from all further liability.
Needless to say, accepting such an offer is not at all in your best interests. Instead, if you’ve already hired a lawyer, refer the caller to him or her. In all likelihood, he or she will have had prior experience dealing with this company and will know how to negotiate with its claims adjusters and lawyers to get you the compensation you need and deserve.