Mistakes to Avoid after a Chicago Truck Accident

There are many important factors that must be taken into account following a truck accident in Chicago. While accidents can often be overwhelming and stressful, making a mistake can have a detrimental impact on an accident claim. With this in mind, it is important to consult with a Chicago truck accident attorney as soon as possible, so that an experienced lawyer can help you avoid the various pitfalls that could negatively impact your injury claim.

Admitting Fault

An admission of fault following a truck accident is a big mistake. It can preclude the person from successfully pursuing a claim at a later date. Nobody should make admissions at the scene of an accident. Given the stress and trauma that the injured individual suffers during an accident, they may not be thinking clearly.

When they are made aware of all those facts and circumstances, they may realize or come to realize that they were in fact not the cause of the accident. By admitting so at the scene of the accident, they can preclude themselves from taking a favorable position in the future.

Refusing Medical Attention

Injuries in an automobile accident can often manifest themselves hours or days later. Although a medical examination can reveal evidence of a soft tissue or whiplash-type injury, it is always in the best interest of someone involved in an automobile accident, especially involving a truck, to seek medical care and get a thorough medical evaluation of their condition. That is always the safest route both for their health and as well as protecting their rights in their case.

Refusing medical attention is an essential mistake to avoid following a Chicago truck accident that could have adverse effects on a person’s claim. Adverse insurance carriers will interpret a gap in treatment as a completion of treatment, meaning an adverse carrier will assume that if the injured party stops going to treatment, they stopped going to treatment because they no longer had pain. That can preclude the recovery of future pain and suffering and future medical expenses.

Not Following Up With Medical Treatment

Time and time again, Chicago accident attorneys see clients after an accident, are doing their best to keep their life in order and they will often try to press through their daily routine even though they are experiencing pain. After a Chicago truck accident, this is a common mistake. Often, injuries will get worse long before they will get any better, and the pain will get to the point where they cannot properly function and cannot maintain their daily lives. However, if they do not get treatment immediately after the accident and immediately address the issue, they may be precluded from ever recovering from the adverse party who caused that pain and suffering.

It is most important in order to get back to their daily routine and keep their life in order is to first take care of their medical issues and their pain and the suffering that they are dealing with by following up with their medical treatment. Then, once their personal injuries are properly addressed, they can then get back to their normal routine and work to rebuild their lives.

Waiting Too Long To Contact An Attorney

The driver and the owner of the truck are not alone in their case. Trucking companies use very experienced claims adjusters who know exactly what they need to do and have dealt with hundreds, if not thousands, of claims. An injured person in a truck accident may be outmatched by that experience of the other truck insurance company’s adjusters. The only way to even the playing field is to work with a truck accident attorney in Chicago as early as possible and as soon as possible after the accident so that the attorney can step in and protect the interest of the victim of a truck accident. The sooner a person injured in a truck accident contacts the lawyer, the better off they will be.

Speaking With Insurance

Interacting with an insurance company too quickly is a common mistake necessary to avoid following a Chicago truck accident. Individuals might do that because they want to appear cooperative; they believe that if they cooperate with the insurance company, the insurance company will then pay them more. Usually, it’s untrue.

The more they cooperate, likely the more admissions that they make and they will lower the value of their case. The insurance companies don’t want to pay claims. They are in the business of evaluating claims and making claims go away. They only pay claims when they absolutely have to. Companies will do everything they can to avoid paying any money at all. They also always try to pay as little as possible.

Giving Recorded Statements

Often times, the police report will include the contact information of those involved in the accident including all the injured parties. The insurance companies, once they get that car accident report, will reach out by telephone and try to contact those injured in the accident and try to get them to submit and agree to a recorded statement.

Giving a recorded statement to the insurance company is an important mistake to avoid after a truck accident in Chicago. The insurance companies try to do it as quickly as possible after the accident. Usually it’s before the injured party fully understands the extent of their injuries; not to mention what they are facing as far as their medical treatment and associated financial obligations. The insurance company representatives know how to lead accident victims into making admissions to diminish the value of their case.

Accepting a Check after a Chicago Truck Accident

Plaintiffs in a truck accident case should be extremely cautious about signing any documents or accepting any funds; whether presented to them by the insurance company as for property damage only or otherwise. Cashing a check can often be a manifestation of an agreement and the acceptance of an agreement. Cashing a check can preclude the recovery of any further money for any injuries in the future.

Some situations relate to where an insurance company will seek to resolve the property damage portion of the case. They will mislead the plaintiffs that the check that they are tendering is for property damage only. When they are asked to sign a release in association with getting the check, it releases all claims; including the personal injuries and not just the property damage. Avoid accepting a check too early.