personal injury suffered in a hospital

Posted on: 4 April 2017

Do you know what to do if you are involved in a car accident? Many people have false information about car accidents, injuries, and legal claims related to car accidents. Read through this list of car accident myths to find out the facts. 

Insurance doesn't need to get involved. 

Sometimes people who are involved in an auto accident think that they should just work the situation out between themselves. This can be a very dangerous risk. Even if the other driver seems very nice, things can quickly change. 

Once you walk away from this other driver, the person can be convinced to say that there was an injury or that the accident happened in a completely different way than it did. If that happens, you have no police report, insurance claim, or any other way of proving what really happened. You could be in danger of being sued or even accused of a crime. 

You should accept fault. 

You should never admit fault in a car accident, even if you think you might be wrong. Leave that for the professionals to sort out. 

The insurance company will give the best settlement. 

It's the job of the employees at any insurance company to save as much money as possible. Insurance companies will often try to get you to accept a settlement that is much lower than one you would get by going to court. 

Don't sign anything an insurance company offers you until you have spoken with an accident attorney. 

You don't have a case if the police think you're at fault.

The police are not the only people responsible for determining fault in an auto accident. Sometimes an insurance company or an attorney can successfully prove that you were not at fault, no matter what the police have determined. 

Even if you think you were at fault, you may only be partially to blame. If you are found to be partially responsible for an accident, you could still have a case. 

You don't need to see a doctor. 

You should see a doctor as soon as possible after any car accident, even a minor one. Even if you don't feel like you've been injured, your body may just be protecting itself or in shock. Having records from a doctor will be very important if it turns out you were injured after all. 

You don't need to call the police for a minor accident. 

You should call the police for any car accident, and you should exchange insurance and personal information with the other driver. 

You may also want to take pictures of the area the accident occurred and of your car and any other cars that were involved. 

You can't claim injuries so long after the event.

Some injuries can take days, weeks, or even months to develop. Or what seems like a small injury can get significantly worse over time. You can often claim injuries that occurred or worsened several weeks or months after an accident. For example, WebMD reports that pain caused by whiplash may not appear for days after the event that caused it. 

See a doctor as soon as possible for the best results. 

You can't afford an attorney. 

Most car accident and personal injury attorneys will offer you a free consultation. If they believe you have a valid case, the attorneys will make an agreement to take part of your compensation as payment. This means that there is no money out of your pocket until you win your case. 

These 8 myths will help you sort out the truth when you are involved in a car accident. Always speak to an attorney if you have questions or concerns.