Advice From a Santa Barbara Car Accident Attorney

At Bamieh & De Smeth, we know how physically, emotionally, and financially draining a car accident can be. From your seemingly never-ending medical bills, emotional stress, painful injuries, and lost income, the future can look bleak. But it doesn’t have to be. After getting injured in a car crash, follow this advice from our Santa Barbara car accident attorney to protect your claim and right to fair compensation.

Get Timely Medical Treatment

If you did not go to the hospital because you didn’t look and feel injured, do so right away, especially if you are now experiencing symptoms, even minor aches and pains. You could be suffering from hidden or invisible injuries, such as whiplash, concussions, and other brain injuries, that must be properly diagnosed and treated to avoid further harm. Getting a medical checkup or treatment will create a paper trail of your injuries and how they resulted from the car crash.

Follow all your doctor’s treatment recommendations, go to follow-up appointments, and don’t stop treatment until your doctor clears you. The liable party’s insurer will see if there are any gaps in your treatment and use them as evidence against you to dispute your injuries and claim that you weren’t really injured or your injuries are not as severe as you’re claiming. The insurer will then offer a low settlement amount or deny your claim.

Never Post Anything About Your Injuries and The Car Accident Online

Insurance claims adjusters will look through your online activity to see if they can use your posts against you. For example, if you fractured your leg and then posted a video of yourself hiking, they can use that video to deny your claim. Consider not posting anything or making your account private. You also need to be careful about which posts you’re tagged to because seemingly innocent casual pictures like you sitting on a beach can be used against you.

Do Not Speak With Anyone From The Insurance Provider

The most challenging aspect of any car accident claim is dealing with the liable party’s insurer. Ideally, you should discuss your case first with a Santa Barbara car accident attorney before speaking to the insurer’s claims adjuster. The claims adjuster will attempt to trick you into making a recorded oral or written statement about the accident and use your statement against you later. This is all part of a plan to trick you into accepting a quick settlement offer that will not cover all your losses.

Talk to Santa Barbara Car Accident Attorney ASAP

After discussing your case with our Santa Barbara car accident attorney, they will work on your case right away to collect the necessary evidence to build your claim and negotiate with the liable party’s insurer. Keep in mind that insurers have a team of lawyers and claims adjusters working for them. Having a lawyer will prevent you from being tricked by the insurers and communicate to them that you are serious about your claim. 

Reach Out to an Experienced Santa Barbara Car Accident Attorney Now

Learn what the Santa Barbara car accident attorney at Bamieh & De Smeth can do for you by scheduling your free case review online or by phone at 805-643-5555.