After the Fact: What to do following a Rockville accident

If you or a family member has been involved in a serious Rockville car accident, you may be feeling overwhelmed and helpless. You may have a lot of questions, such as, "How do I pay these bills?" or, "Is this settlement enough?" and even, "Do I need an attorney?"

You don't have to feel helpless. Here are a few concrete things you can do to protect your rights:

Take photos.

Photos can tell a lot about what happened. A return trip to the accident scene, particularly if there are still any visible skid marks or signs of a crash, may be valuable. Take photos of your vehicle before it's fixed too.

Also, if you have any visible injuries, take photos of these. Scars fade, but a picture of how serious your injury was may help boost your compensation.

Track expenses.

Keep track of all your medical appointments and expenses. Keep all of your bills and any written instructions from your doctor that you may have. All of this information will help prove that you did your part in getting the treatment necessary for your injury. It will also help show just how serious - and expensive - the injury was.

Keep quiet.

You are not obligated to talk to the other driver's insurance company at all. They will pressure you, but it is not required, so feel free to decline comment. They may be trying to get you to mess up your story or admit fault in order to reduce your settlement.

Don't admit fault.

Just as at the scene of the accident, don't admit responsibility for the crash since you may not know the whole story. When talking with the police or your own insurance company, it's your job to state the facts that you know and nothing else.

Take your time.

Don't be in a rush to accept the first settlement offer the insurance company sends. They often try to lowball victims on this first attempt, and you may not yet know the extent of your injuries. Make sure you know the total cost of your injuries and that the compensation is adequate before accepting any settlement.

Contact a lawyer.

While you may be able to handle settlement negotiations on your own, in some cases, an experienced Rockville car accident attorney can ease your worries and provide expert help to make sure that you are getting a fair settlement.

For a free consultation, call the qualified Rockville injury lawyers of Nickelsporn & Lundin at 1-800-875-9700 today.