Being in a car wreck should not wreck your life! Avoiding the five most common mistakes made by car accident victims could mean the difference between full compensation or being left not made whole!

1. FIVE BIGGEST
MISTAKES You Can
Make After A Car
Accident
Glotzer & Sweat, LLP –
Personal Injury Lawyers in
Los Angeles, CA

2. STOP!!
You’ve just been in an accident through no fault of your
own, you were injured and you are wondering?
• What do I need to do to make sure I don’t get stuck
bearing the financial burden of medical costs, lost
income, a rental car, property damage repairs,
deductibles?
• What should I not do?
YOU NEED TO KNOW ….
THE TOP FIVE MISTAKES AN ACCIDENT VICTIM CAN
MAKE THAT WILL RUIN OR EXTREMELY DIMINISH
THE VALUE OF THEIR RECOVERY …

3. 1. Making Statements At the
Scene of the Accident or
Later
Car accident claims are not paid out lightly.
Insurance companies would like any excuse to
not pay you or to pay you very little.
Unfortunately, the law allows statements you
make to be used against you in later legal
proceedings. These can be at the scene of the
crash, in a “recorded interview” to a claims
adjuster in person or on the phone or even
flippant remarks, photos or other information you
post up on public forums like Facebook and
Twitter.

4. 2. Not Seeking Prompt and
Thorough Medical
Examination and Treatment
Seeking out immediate medical treatment is essential to
knowing and confirming all the potential medical
conditions that have been caused by the incident.
Moderate to severe traffic collisions usually cause
sufficient bodily harm to warrant ambulance transport
from the scene. Refusing emergency care can not only
leave you with worsening medical problems that could
have been helped with more prompt diagnosis, it can
also leave the insurance company to argue that you are
not injured as severely as you later claim. In addition,
failing to seek out follow up diagnosis through diagnostic
tools like X-Rays, MRI s and CT Scans and consultation
with medical specialists like orthopedists and
neurologists can delay healing and reduce case value.
Also: Once a case is settled and a release is signed,
there is no “rewinding the clock” to seek more money if
you find out your condition is much more serious and
originally thought!

5. 3.
Being Inconsistent in Attending
Physical Therapy and Other Medical
Treatments
Gaps in treatment are extremely negative
for two reasons:
• They delay the healing process; and
• They provide ammunition to insurance
companies to argue that, “If your client
was hurt that bad, why did they keep
missing doctor’s appointments.”
Everyone has busy lives but, there is no
higher priority than your health!
Recovering from a traumatic injury
requires consistent medical care!

6. 4. Not Being Truthful About
Prior Injuries or Claims
Most state tort laws (including California) state
that negligent drivers are responsible for
injuries even if the person injured was more
susceptible to harm due to a prior medical
condition and that exacerbation of a prior injury
is still compensable. Therefore, pre-existing
medical conditions do not destroy the value of
your claim. Lying about pre-existing medical
conditions destroys your credibility as a
claimant, which very well may ruin your case!
This is especially true if the prior medical
condition was to the same body part claimed to
be injured in the present accident.

7. 5. Not Seeking Prompt Legal Advice
From A Quality Personal Injury
Lawyer
Presenting a claim for personal injuries following
an auto accident is not a simple process. A quality
personal injury law firm can provide good sound
advice and act as a buffer between you and the
opposing insurance representatives and their
claims adjusters and lawyers. They can also make
sure that every damage is accounted for and
assist in negotiation of payment in medical
expense that maximizes the money you net out of
the case. By attempting to “go it on your own”,
you can make mistakes that will come back to
haunt you later!
Glotzer & Sweat LLP – Los Angeles Injury Lawyers