- December 11, 2024
- Posted by: Robert Katz
- Category: DUI Accidents
Receiving injuries from an accident with an impaired driver begins a complex legal situation that involves medical treatment, replacement of your car, and mental suffering. The offending driver gets charged with aggravated DUI, and you have to deal with the resulting insurance claim. Retaining a Delaware County personal injury lawyer is beneficial because they can help you settle your case equitably. Here’s a look at what’s involved in the claims process.
Report the Incident to Your Insurance Company
While this isn’t strictly part of the legal procedure, it’s still a necessary step to assist with processing your claim. Your insurance company can provide support by recording the details of the accident and creating a reliable record. You can also inform the offender’s insurance company of the incident and begin the claim process.
It’s best to let your DUI accident attorney in Philadelphia, PA, take over handling the claim once it’s been initiated. That way, a legal expert can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf and make sure that you get a fair and equitable settlement.
Seek Medical Treatment
Accident-related injuries aren’t always obvious in the immediate aftermath of an accident. Either accept ambulance transport to the hospital or have someone take you to the ER. You need to get a full evaluation to make sure you’re not bleeding internally or have a concussion. You may also not notice that you have an injury because your adrenaline is flowing.
Immediate medical intervention is important for your well-being as you may need hospitalization and surgery to repair the damage to your body. It also creates a medical record that can’t be argued against during the claims process.
Collect Evidence
This can seem like a daunting task, especially when dealing with injuries from the accident. However, you don’t need to collect physical evidence from the scene, but you should write down a recollection of what happened to the best of your ability. If you can, get a copy of the police report, as that will lay out the events of the accident. Finally, if someone took pictures of the accident and has been in touch with you, give their contact information to your Delaware County personal injury lawyer.
It’s important to gather evidence after the accident, but you need to put yourself first. You may not be able to get as much evidence as you like. In this situation, a recollection is sufficient, and it’s best to let qualified individuals gather the rest of the evidence.
Don’t Sign Anything From the Insurance Companies
Insurance companies direct their claims adjusters to pay as little as possible to claimants, then have them sign a document that prevents them from seeking more damages. This is done to minimize the company’s losses and is known as signing away your rights. When you sign away your rights, you can’t engage in legal processes intended to make you whole after an accident. That is, you’ll get less money for your losses.
Don’t accept an offer to settle from the insurer. Instead, tell them you want to talk to your lawyer first and make sure that you retain a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Your lawyer will take over the negotiations and use the evidence you’ve collected to help improve your claim and compensation. In turn, your rights and any future health problems resulting from the accident are protected.
Get Help From a Personal Injury Lawyer
Don’t try to tackle the aftermath of an accident with a DUI-related injury on your own. Instead, contact Katz Injury Law today to get help with your claim and let us take care of you while you recover. We work hard to get our clients an appropriate settlement or award for their injuries.