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Attorney Jordan Van Matre

3 mistakes to dodge after a car accident

On Behalf of | Oct 17, 2020 | Car Accidents

A car accident can be difficult to recover from. You’ll likely need medical treatment, miss out on work while dealing with healing and must fix up or replace your vehicle. But being careful during each step of the follow-up process might make for a speedier and more affordable recovery.

Here are three mistakes you should steer clear from if you get into an accident in Georgia:

  1. Taking full blame

Part of the reason the accident took place might be because of a late reaction or distraction on your part. But you should keep this information yourself when you are talking to the to other party or police officers at the scene. In Georgia, you can only receive compensation if you are no more than 50% at fault.  Therefore, you won’t want to compromise your settlement before you even begin the claims process.

  1. Not seeing a doctor

Whether you think your injuries are major or minimal, seeing a doctor is extremely important after an auto collision. Bumps, cuts, bruises and broken bones can be detectable right away, but some common crash injuries don’t set in until days later. For example, whiplash, which many rear-end crash victims suffer from, can lead to chronic consequences if a victim ignores delayed pain or moves their neck around as they normally would, despite the pain.

  1. Delaying follow-up

There are limits on how long you can file personal injury and property damage lawsuits. Specifically, Georgians have two years from their accident date to file an injury claim and four years from their accident date to file a property damage claim. So, the sooner you begin the process, the better. Especially because if an insurance adjuster or judge is working with two different parties and thoroughly investigating the case, then this usually isn’t an overnight process when done fairly.

Instead of getting overwhelmed and delaying follow-up, you should have your mind set on feeling better and moving on with your life. An experienced attorney can help make this possible, by taking care of the legalities of your claim.