Any time you are injured in an accident such as an auto accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, construction accident, a slip and fall, on a poorly maintained premises, and more, it can be an extremely stressful, complicated, and difficult situation to successfully navigate. You want to ensure that you recover compensation for your medical expenses and lost income, and protect the financial and legal future of you and your family.

You’re not an attorney, you don’t understand all of the various intricacies of injury law, and you are overwhelmed, but here are a few tips which can help you better understand your options, and how to go about navigating the accident injury process.

Seek Medical Attention ASAP

Even if you believe you have escaped your accident unscathed, it is still extremely important that you seek medical attention as quickly as possible. Many injuries are not immediately apparent after an accident, but can still cause long-term damage to your health. Injuries to the spine, brain injuries, and internal bleeding can sometimes take days or weeks to become apparent, but the longer you wait to diagnose and begin treating these injuries, the greater the risk of permanent damage, and the weaker any potential case you have for recovery becomes.

The sooner you seek medical attention after an accident, the sooner you can diagnose potential complications, and the easier it will be for you and your Morris County injury attorney to prove the link between your accident, and any injuries you have sustained.

Speak with a Morris County Injury Attorney

Before taking any other steps, and especially before speaking with the insurance company about your accident and injuries, speak with an experienced injury attorney. Your attorney can advise you on the various options you have in terms of seeking compensation, and can protect you from making many of the most common mistakes injury victims make which cost them the potential for full and fair compensation. Most injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, so you do not have to worry about the expense of hiring an attorney or the recovery process, as they will only require payment once they have made you a recovery.

Don’t Speak with the Insurance Company or an Insurance Adjuster

Many injury victims make the mistake of speaking with the insurance company before speaking with an attorney. They say something like “Yes I was involved in an accident, but I feel OK”, and when two days later their back begins bothering them, and they discover a latent spinal cord injury, their statement to the insurance company of “feeling OK” can come back to haunt them, as the insurance company can say they are simply inventing their injuries in an effort to make a quick buck.

Once you have spoken with an attorney, and have retained their services to help you recover compensation, the insurance company and their representatives can no longer legally contact you without going through your attorney, so you will be protected from making these mistakes which can cost you a fair settlement.

Don’t Accept an Initial Settlement Offer

Many times insurance company will make a quick offer to injury victims in an effort to settle the case. While this offer may initially seem like a lot of money, more often than not it will be extremely unfair to you. It takes time to discover the full extent of your injuries, the medical costs associated with treatment and rehabilitation, and how your injuries will affect your employment, and more often than not these expenses will be turn out to be quite a bit more than whatever initial settlement offer the insurance company makes you.

Once you settle your case, you cannot legally pursue compensation if you discover that the offer you signed was insufficient to cover your expenses, so be patient, don’t sign anything too quickly, and let your attorney thoroughly investigate your case in order to accurately determine exactly how much compensation you will need to recover for your injuries.

Keep Thorough Records

The more documentation you can provide your Morris County injury attorney, the better. Pictures of the scene of the accident, pictures of relevant factors, pictures of your injuries, insurance policy documents, communications with the insurance company, police reports, medical records, and any other evidence you can gather will all go a long way towards painting a complete and accurate account of your accident and resulting effects for your attorney. The more they know, the better they can work to secure you the compensation you need and deserve.

Be Honest About Your Accident and Injuries

Whatever you do, do not exaggerate the extent of your injuries to either your attorney, or the insurance company. Your attorney needs to know exactly what they are dealing with, and if the insurance company discovers that you are exaggerating your injuries (and rest assured they will if you do), it will seriously impact your chances of recovering full and fair compensation.

Furthermore, do not lie about your involvement in the accident or any related circumstances to your attorney. Any details which come as a surprise to them from the insurance company can very negatively impact your case, while if your attorney is aware beforehand of any important details, they can work in such a manner that protects your claim from these details.

Be Patient, and Trust your Morris County Injury Attorney

All personal injury cases at Smith & Doran are personally handled by founding partner Robert A. Smith. Robert Smith has already recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for his clients across Morristown, Parsippany, Randolph, Roxbury, and the greater Morris County area, and you can trust that he will put this experience to work for you.

Recovering compensation is not a fast and easy process, it requires careful investigation, negotiation, and most importantly time, in order to recover full and fair compensation for your injuries, but you can rest assured that if you are patient, Robert Smith will secure the recovery that best meets your unique needs.

As a New Jersey Supreme Court Certified Civil Trial Attorney, Robert Smith is one of the 2% of the active lawyers in the state to be awarded such a distinction, and it is a demonstration of his excellence in the areas of legal knowledge, trial skills, and ability to communicate with clients when it comes to civil and personal injury law.

To speak with Robert Smith and the personal injury law firm of Smith & Doran in a free and confidential consultation regarding your accident and your options for recovering compensation, please contact us online, or through our Morristown, NJ office at 973-292-0016.