Savvy Car Crash Assist readers may have seen commercials or websites giving away copies of The Seven Biggest Mistakes That Can Wreck Your [insert state name here] Accident Case, in exchange for your contact information. The booklet seems to have been ghostwritten by someone, then sold throughout the nation to various attorneys who claim authorship. In any case, it summarizes many of the things we teach in our Settlement Booklet. They are as follows:

1. Waiting to seek medical attention. The longer you wait to see a doctor after an accident—even if it’s to see if you can get better on your own—the harder time you’ll have convincing the at-fault insurance company you were injured.
2. Failing to properly report the accident. This means you either didn’t file a report with the police at the scene of the accident or didn’t take pictures of the damage to your vehicle and injuries sustained.
3. Divulging too much information to the insurance company. Recovery from an injury takes time. Nevertheless, insurance adjusters will try and get you to commit to an injury, often the same day of the crash, even before a doctor has properly diagnosed and treated you. This is an attempt by them to reduce a payout to you. Don’t do it unless you want to minimize your claim (Simply say “I’ll know more once I finish treatment with my doctor.”)
4. Waiting to file a claim. As soon as you are able (the day of, if possible), file a claim with the insurance company. This can be done by you or an attorney, the latter of which can be added to your original claim at anytime, so long as a settlement hasn’t been reached.
5. Exaggerating or lying about your injuries. Don’t do it unless you want to kiss your legitimate recovery money goodbye.
6. Failing to complete medical treatment. If you skip visits or fail to complete your treatment, the insurance company will argue you weren’t really hurt in an accident. Stick to the program unless your doctor says otherwise, even if you feel you are getting better.
7. Exaggerating or lying about personal mobility. Some people do this in an effort to inflate their general damages award (aka “pain and suffering”). This is an auto accident, not the lottery. So for the second time, don’t fudge the truth. Be honest so you can get compensated for your injuries and loss of life (if any).

For a more comprehensive explanation of personal injury recovery, please see our Settlement Booklet.