Chances are if you’ve been involved in a car accident then the first thing you usually want to do is to call your cars insurers to notify them of the accident and to claim for damages. But wait don’t take any action yet, before you do so read the following article that may help you avoid saying and doing certain things following an accident both at the scene and also later on to the insurance company that could potentially cause you a lot more stress and potentially affect you financially later. These tips may help you get the most out of any car accident damage and personal injury claim.

#1 Admit anthing at the scene

Obviously any car accident can be traumatic and if the other driver is intimidating you and trying to blame you when they are at fault, then try to remain as calm as possible and not be drawn into who was at fault at the scene. When feeling threatened or intimidated, you might say something to the other driver that could upset them further and then cause them to harm you physically or perhaps they could use your comments to claim that you admitted liability, when you actually you felt bullied into saying the wrong thing.

#2 “It looks like..” or “I believe that…”

When getting round to calling your car insurance company to make a statement about the accident always keep to the facts as it may affect your believability. It quite easy if calling when still in the immediate after effects of an accident and whilst in trauma to make a mistake at this point especially if the accident is not a clear cut case of is who was at fault and to blame. Let the insurance prove and decide liability. Things like speed lane disciplines and road conditions may be a few key factors assessed, but always be truthful and don’t give unnecessary information that you may not be sure about.

#3 “I was at fault..”

Don’t speculate over the fact that you think you may be at fault or admit that you are at fault. Sometimes the other driver or other third party may have been at least partly liable, many people can be left a little unclear on who was to blame in some complex motoring accident situations as thankfully it’s not every day we find ourselves in such a position. By admitting liability on the phone to your insurer could affect you. You might believe you are at fault, but don’t say so – simply let the insurers decide based upon the facts. Anything said will be noted, so only keep to the facts!

#4 “I have no injuries. I am fine”

By telling your insurance company this directly after the accident could really affect you financially if later you find that you begin to notice symptoms such as whiplash which may be evident after a day or so. For example at work a week or so later you suddenly feel pain that may be related to the car impact but you have informed your insurer that you are fine, in these situations if your insurer has written to the third party telling them you have no injury you will be on the back foot straight away as already you’ve told them you are fine. If asked the question, it would better to explain that you are intending to visit your GP to get yourself fully checked and get proper medical evidence.

#5 “I have whiplash injury..”

Firstly don’t ever say this unless you have it; insurance costs are rising all the time and in one major case recently in the UK a man had over ninety accidents staged for friends to make whiplash claims on the same traffic island! He was eventually caught up with and dealt with by the police. On the other hand if you genuinely have whiplash injury go and see your doctor so that it is registered on your medical records and then do not pursue an injury claim through your insurance company for two reasons:

a) A little trick that some insurance companies are now beginning to implement involves the third parties insurers writing to you literally within days saying that you don’t need to see a solicitor to make a claim and that they will make you an offer to compensate you for injury; they will offer to give you some compensation. They claim it is much easier to just take the settlement on offer from them. Why? Well, because it will cost them less and you will most likely lose out in lost compensation! Whilst this may seem tempting, the huge drawback here in accepting these kinds of offers is that in doing so you don’t know if what is being offered is reasonable and an amount that would be in line with your injuries and appropriate for your circumstances; you are more than likely not an expert car accident solicitor, just an innocent injured victim! You simply won’t know what you are entitled to. The third parties insurers at this point will not have gleaned any expert independent medical evidence in making you this offer and will have not considered any long term injury that you could potentially have or suffer from in the future. You guessed it its better for the insurers not you! You could be left suffering and once the claim has been settled it will be far too late if you have future problems.

b) Some people may simply want to use their car insurance company as they feel it might be a lot less hassle by instructing them to handle this for them, but again this could cost you money as despite the fact that road casualties actually came down in the UK by 8% in 2009, personal injury claim cases are on the rise and insurers as explained earlier are in the business of making profit. Do they really want to help you maximize your compensation.? Your car insurance will have contracts with certain solicitors and they will sell your claim to the highest bidder. Who knows if these solicitors only specialize in accident claims? Its better to do this part yourself and check out companies specialize in accident claims. You need to choose a car accident compensation claim company that offers to help you win compensation without deductions or no hidden admin fee’s.

Author SIG – Resource Box
Author: Ian Bedford

The Accident Claim Company are personal injury claim specialists, who ensure you keep 100% of any accident compensation awarded for car and other road accident injuries, whether as a passenger, driver or pedestrian. call: 0800 542 2858 or visit out website for further details and get your claim started today.

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