If you have become the victim of another driver's careless actions while on the road, you may be entitled to recoup money damages. When it comes to car wrecks and dealing with compensation, there are several widely-held misconceptions, and if you aren't careful these incorrect perceptions could endanger your ability to gain fair monetary damages. One of the worst mistakes you can make is to just assume that the insurance company will make everything right again. Read on to learn about some common car accident misconceptions and how to overcome them.

I know that I am not at fault, so there should be no problem providing the insurance adjuster with a recorded statement.

You must understand how the insurance company views the accident. Anytime they have to pay out any money for a claim, it's a loss for them. They are not in the business of just giving out money when people are involved in accidents, and when you get that call from the insurance adjuster representing the carrier for the other side (the at-fault driver), you should refuse to speak to them.

The adjuster, no matter how polite and personable they seem, work for the insurance company and their job is to reduce their own liability in the accident. This means that they are skilled at getting you comfortable enough during the phone call that you could say something that reduces their liability. For example, you might admit that you could have been speeding when the other car hit you. An admission like that could mean that you share some of the liability for the accident, which will only reduce your compensation. You are not required to give this statement, so allow your personal injury attorney to handle this situation.

The accident report lays fault for the accident with the other driver, so I can just relax and wait for the big check.

While the accident report will play a role in your claim, it may not carry as much weight as you think it does. This report often will hold a lot of information, such as the contact and insurance information for all involved parties. One of the most informative sections of the report, however, is the responding law enforcement officer's account of how the accident occurred, their opinion on who was at fault and whether or not any traffic citations were issued as a result of the wreck. Unfortunately, accident reports are not admissible in court, so if your case should come to trial it cannot be used to help you win your case. Make sure that you are not relying too heavily on this one piece of evidence, and ignoring other valuable evidence like eyewitness statements, medical record, photographs, and more.

Contact a law office like Kiernan Personal Injury Attorneys PA for more information. 

 

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