Very shortly after your accident, an insurance adjuster from the at-fault driver’s insurance company will usually call you to discuss your accident. You can not be too cautious when speaking with an insurance adjuster from an insurance company, especially if you are not being assisted by a Durham Personal Injury Attorney or Greensboro Personal Injury Attorney. The insurance adjuster form the insurance company is looking out for the best interests of the person who injured you, and for the insurance company. The insurance adjusters questions are going to be geared at determining whether you have any fault in causing your accident, and also at the extent and severity of your injuries. Nothing you say to the insurance adjuster immediately after the accident can help you; the insurance adjuster is just looking for information that can limit or minimize the value of your claim. No matter how nice or friendly the insurance adjuster is being, do not ever give him or her a recorded statement or sign any document without first consulting a Durham Injury Lawyer or Greensboro Injury Lawyer. The information gathered by the insurance adjuster is just evidence that the insurance company can later use against you to reduce the value of your claim.
You do not need to hire a personal injury attorney, but you should at least take one up on a free consultation to discuss the pitfalls of speaking with an insurance adjuster so you can be prepared for the recorded statement. Also, if you do choose to hire an attorney to assist you with your personal injury case, do not feel pressured to hire a North Carolina personal injury attorney immediately, or even at the free consultation. If you do not feel comfortable with the injury attorney that you are speaking with, or if you just do not feel ready to make any decisions so quickly after your accident, just take your time and wait until you are ready to make a decision on hiring an attorney.
Remember, with your injury claim time is really on your side. In North Carolina you generally have 3 years from the date of your injury to either settle your claim or file a lawsuit. As a result, you should really be focusing on finding the medical care that you need. The days and weeks immediately after you are injured you should focus your time and energy to obtaining medical treatment and taking care of your injuries. There is no reason why you need to field phone calls from insurance adjusters or lawyers.
The Durham Personal Injury Attorneys and Greensboro Personal Injury Attorneys at Kreger Thacker LLP are always available to coach you through the personal injury claims process should you have any questions about your injury claim. You can reach us through our website at www.kregerthacker.com/personal-injury or by e-mail at personalinjury@kregerthacker.com.