Your DC Personal Injury Lawyer Explains the Two Calls to Make After An Accident
We’re in the thick of the winter season here in Washington, DC, and that not only means cold, but also challenging conditions when you want to drive your vehicle. Of course, it’s best to avoid driving if the roads are questionable; however, there are times when you need to venture out to get to work, run errands, or perhaps meet up with friends. So what happens when you are injured in a car accident, and the poor weather conditions are to blame? Your Bad Weather Car Accident Lawyer has the answers.
The First Phone Call
When you are injured in a car accident, the first phone call you need to make is to get help. You can call 9-1-1 yourself or ask someone else to do so. Don’t hesitate to take an ambulance to the hospital to get medical treatment. Not only are you making a decision that could be life-saving, but utilizing emergency transportation for treatment also requires the responding police officer to document the accident on a police report.
Without the use of an ambulance, police officers are not required to file a police report, and will instead inform the drivers that they need to do an exchange of information.
While your DC Personal Injury Lawyers recommend that you take an ambulance to the hospital if you have been injured, you also have the option of getting to the hospital on your own. However, make it a priority by getting there as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more leverage the insurance company has to lowball your settlement offer.
The Second Phone Call
The next phone call you need to make is to your DC Personal Injury Lawyer at The Lapidus Law Firm. While you do need to inform your insurance company about your accident in a timely manner, we recommend that you call us first, because insurance adjusters will begin looking for reasons to justify a lowball settlement offer during each phone call.
Some people don’t realize they play a crucial role in reducing their initial settlement offer by having an innocent conversation with the insurance adjusters. For example, when the adjuster says, “How are you feeling,” the instinctive response is to say, “I’m okay.” However, that response is recorded, and the adjusters use it to justify a low settlement offer, arguing that the accident injuries must not be so bad; otherwise, you wouldn’t have said you were doing okay.
You, of course, know you are not okay, but the insurance company doesn’t take into account your ailments; they care only about how they can pay out as little as possible.
DC Personal Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident during bad weather, don’t hesitate to reach out to The Lapidus Law Firm for a free, no obligation consultation. Your qualified DC Car Accident Lawyer will meet with you to discuss the details of your case, and you can then decide if you want to obtain representation from our team of qualified, skilled and dedicated lawyers. You will be treated with the utmost respect and will be informed as each step of the legal process unfolds. Call us today to get started at (202) 785-5111.