As with lots of major life events, your friends and family will all have lots of advice for you after you’re involved in a car accident. While this advice is well-meaning, it isn’t always helpful, and some of it is just plain wrong. Below, find a few examples of myths about what happens and what you should do after a car accident , and contact our compassionate and experienced personal injury attorneys for guidance on what to do after a crash that’s built on knowledge of the law rather than word of mouth.

Myth 1: If you’re just dealing with a car insurance company, you don’t need a lawyer

Numerous studies by consumer advocacy groups have shown that insurance claimants who have a lawyer obtain vastly larger settlements; in fact, one study showed the difference to be seven times as great of an average settlement among those claimants with a lawyer. An attorney knows how to negotiate with insurance companies to ensure that you receive that to which you’re entitled. Don’t allow yourself to be short-changed by going up against a large corporation staffed with experienced lawyers by yourself.

Myth 2: You don’t need to go to the doctor if nothing hurts.

Always see a doctor right after an accident. There are a number of injuries which may not exhibit symptoms immediately after a crash, but for which immediate treatment is important. If you wait to seek treatment until these injuries manifest or become unbearable, it could appear as though you were injured subsequent to the accident, but fraudulently attempted to have those later injuries compensated by the insurance company. Don’t lose your claim by waiting too long.

Myth 3: My car accident was like yours, and I recovered $X; you’ll get the same thing.

While it may not appear this way from the surface, each accident is different, resulting from different behaviors and outside factors, and thus causing a differing amount of liability for each driver involved. These factors can have a big impact on your recovery, both positive and negative. Not only are all car accidents unique, the amount you recover depends heavily on the existence and quality of your legal counsel. If your friend did not obtain an attorney to negotiate on their behalf with the insurance company, chances are you’ll have a much better result if you hire a lawyer to handle your case.

Myth 4: If you weren’t the at-fault driver, you don’t need to do anything.

You may have heard that, where you’re certain the other driver was at fault, it’s that driver’s responsibility to report the accident, and there’s nothing you need to do about the accident. This isn’t true. First of all, some at-fault drivers might admit that they were responsible at the scene, but fail to ever report the accident or respond to subsequent contact, so don’t trust them to handle the logistics of making sure you get compensated. Second of all, it is still important to gather evidence supporting the other driver’s fault, such as photos at the scene of the crash and witness information, as well as to carefully document any records of your accident-related expenses, such as medical bills, receipts from car repairs, and records of time spent off work.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a Virginia car accident with a negligent driver, speak with determined and trial-ready personal injury attorneys to ensure you receive the compensation you need to recover, and contact Charlottesville personal injury law firm Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz for a no-cost consultation, at 434-977-7977.

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