Fountain Valley Car Accident Attorneys

A car accident can happen in the blink of an eye, but the effects can last a lifetime. Every year, thousands of families find themselves picking up the pieces in the wake of a collision. If you’re one of those motorists, our Fountain Valley car accident attorneys may be able to help with your claim. From car accidents to wrongful deaths to slip and falls, we’ve handled a wide range of cases helping our clients secure millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts. Contact us today at 1-800-GO-HARRIS to discuss your situation with one of our lawyers.

Should I Visit the Doctor If My Injuries Aren’t Serious?

Yes. Seeking medical treatment in a timely manner will ensure that a serious underlying condition doesn’t go undetected. Additionally, a prompt diagnosis can help connect your injuries to the accident and reduce the risks of facing a dispute if you decide to file a personal injury claim. Fail to take this crucial step and the opposing party might assert that:

• Your Injuries Were Caused by Another Accident: To win a third-party insurance claim, you must be able to prove three important elements: Liability, causation, and damages. As such, even if you can show that you suffered damages and that the other driver was negligent, you will not be able to obtain a financial award unless you can connect your losses to the incident in question. Visiting the doctor immediately after leaving the scene can help your lawyer prove that your injuries stem from the collision. Delaying a medical evaluation could leave room for disputes as the opposing party could argue that your injuries were caused by something else.
• Your Injuries Are Not as Serious as Your Attorney Claims: Some of the most serious injuries, such as internal injuries, whiplash, and brain trauma, may initially present with latent or minor symptoms. For example, if you were involved in an auto accident and are only suffering discomfort around your neck, you may think you’ve walked away from the crash unscathed. However, this could be the first symptom of whiplash. If you don’t seek medical treatment in a timely manner, the insurer might assert that your injuries can’t be as serious as your attorney claims as you did not require urgent care. Should you encounter such disputes, our Fountain Valley car accident lawyers have many strategies they can use to counter them.
• You Failed to Mitigate Damages: Seeking medical care is about more than just taking care of your well-being. If your condition deteriorates because you did not schedule an appointment in a timely manner, the insurance company might argue that you did not take sufficient steps to mitigate damages. This might result in reductions to your financial award or the outright denial of your claim.

Can I Use Social Media After I File My Claim?

A car accident can be incredibly traumatic, and it’s likely your emotions will be running high for days—if not weeks—after this harrowing event. During this time, it’s only natural to want to turn to those closest to you for emotional support. However, discussing the accident online could compromise your chances of obtaining a financial award. Posts you publish after the accident might be used by the insurance company or another opposing party to challenge aspects of your claim. You may want to deactivate your social media accounts to make sure you don’t do anything that could hurt your chances of obtaining a financial award. However, if you’re not ready to take this step, here are a few tips to keep in mind next time you log onto social media:

• Do Not Accept New Friend Requests: You tap through to your Facebook account and there’s a new notification; a friend request from someone you don’t recognize. Typically, these invites from anonymous individuals represent a chance to expand your professional networks or open a conversation with someone outside of your familiar circles. However, while your claim is pending, these connection requests could pose something far more sinister. It’s not unheard of for investigators hired by opposing parties to send friend requests to gain access to a claimants’ social media feeds. Once accepted, these individuals can pore through your posts at their own leisure, filtering any posts that could be used as evidence to challenge your case. As such, you should ignore new connection requests until your case has concluded.
• Do Not Publish Pictures of Yourself: Whether it’s sitting at home while everyone is out enjoying life or grappling with daily aches and pains, recovering from a serious injury is rarely easy. However, life will still have a few bright spots, and it’s in these happier moments that you’ll be tempted to grab your phone and snap a few photos. Unfortunately, publishing these pictures could impede your ability to recover compensation for your damages. It’s not unheard for insurers to use claimants’ online images to dispute claims. For instance, a picture of you and your family eating at the local diner could be leveraged as evidence to assert that your injuries aren’t that serious.
• Do Not Discuss Your Claim Online: Publishing posts or comments about the accident could help give opposing parties the ammunition they need to pick your case apart. For instance, you might write something that contradicts other evidence in your case, or you could inadvertently downplay the severity of your injuries.

Contact Us Today to Speak to a Fountain Valley Car Accident Attorney

If you were injured on the road, it may be in your best interests to discuss your situation with a skilled personal injury attorney. Contact us today at 1-800-GO-HARRIS or click through to our Contact Form to discuss your options with our lawyers. Your first case review is free.