You should get medical attention immediately after getting hit by a car. Whether you were a pedestrian or riding a bicycle or motorcycle, your injuries could be significant. You should also protect your right to compensation by working with a lawyer. Make sure that you do not discard anything that could be evidence and that you do not make any missteps that could hurt your claim for financial damages.

Why Immediate Medical Attention Is Important

If you have visible injuries after getting hit by a car, you should go straight to the emergency room or urgent care center. What looks like a minor scrape or bruise might actually be a fracture or internal bleeding.

Medical professionals can perform a physical examination and diagnostic testing to find hidden injuries. Whenever a motor vehicle strikes a person, there is a substantial risk of physical harm. By the time symptoms appear, the damage could be life-threatening, like bleeding in the brain.

Your medical records will connect the injury to the accident. If you delay in seeking medical attention, the defendant might accuse you of getting hurt from something other than the collision.

How a Lawyer Can Help With Your Injury Claim

A personal injury lawyer can keep you from getting tricked by the insurance adjuster into believing that your claim is worth less than it is. We can field settlement offers for you and negotiate directly with the insurance company so that you do not have to. After we talk with you and investigate your circumstances, we can calculate the fair monetary value of your claim.

If the case does not settle, we can file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf, seeking compensation for your losses. We can gather the evidence necessary to build your claim.

Safeguarding Evidence

Make sure that you do not discard any evidence that might help your case. After getting hit by a car, take photos of the scene of the accident right away, if you can do so safely. You can also have someone else take the pictures for you. Bystanders can be useful if the defendant fabricates a story about what caused the accident. Try to get the names and contact information of possible witnesses, and save these materials in a secure location.

How to Avoid Traps That Could Hurt Your Right to Compensation

Numerous things could happen to sabotage your injury claim. A few examples include:

  • You have a limited amount of time to go after financial damages for your losses. If you miss the deadline, you can lose the right to compensation. Adjusters know this. They can string you along and make you think that they are negotiating with you in good faith, knowing that the time is running out. Once the deadline passes, the adjuster may stop returning your phone calls.
  • Resist the temptation to post photographs, videos, or any information about the accident or injury. It can be a good idea to avoid social media altogether while you have a pending injury claim. The adjuster can obtain your social media postings and use these things against you to devalue your case.
  • Do not settle your injury case before you complete all of your medical treatment. Imagine finding out that you need to have surgery, but you have already settled your injury claim. The insurer will not pay for the operation, and your standard health insurance is unlikely to cover the cost. You will have to pay all of those bills out of pocket.
  • Do not make small talk at the scene of the accident. What you intended as an expression of sympathy could be misinterpreted as an admission of fault.
  • The insurance adjuster will likely ask you to give a recorded statement. You should not fall for the line that the statement will provide you with the chance to tell your side of the story. Instead, the adjuster can twist your words into something you did not mean to try to pay you less money than you deserve. Instead of giving a recorded statement, tell the insurer to talk to your lawyer.

Working with a pedestrian accident lawyer from the beginning after getting hit by a car can help you avoid these problems.

Getting Legal Help

We treat our clients like family at S. Burke Law. We are proud to deliver personal, attentive legal services. Our clients can focus on getting better because they know that we are taking care of everything else.

Call us today at (404) 842-7838 to get started. You will not have to pay upfront legal fees. We get paid out of the settlement proceeds or award at the end of the matter. The initial consultation is free, and there is no obligation.