5 Tips for Maximizing Your Recovery

After a car accident:

  1. See a doctor as soon as you can. Besides getting the medical care you need, this will begin to document your injuries and your medical expenses. Follow your doctor’s instructions, including making it to scheduled appointments.
  2. Start an accident file. Save every record, report, receipt, letter, note and other document related to your accident. This includes police reports, medical treatment receipts, medicine purchase receipts, records of work absences, car repair and rental records and insurance company correspondence. Take photos at the accident scene, of your injuries and during your recovery. Make your own notes about the accident, your medical treatment and recovery, and other activities related to the accident and your injuries. Your claim for compensation will be built upon evidence you can provide to your attorney, which he or she can present in negotiations or a trial. The more information, the better.
  3. Reject the insurance company’s initial offer. Insurance adjusters’ primary obligation is to save their employer money by settling claims quickly and moving on to the next case. But regardless of the adjuster’s intentions, he or she may make a settlement offer before the full costs of your accident are even known. Don’t accept a settlement offer and don’t ever sign anything an insurance company representative presents to you until a lawyer has fully reviewed your case. You could give up compensation forever that you need and deserve.
  4. Talk to an experienced car accident attorney. A car accident lawyer who has successfully pursued claims with Washington State insurers and in Washington State courts can help you obtain a fair and proper settlement. Your first meeting with a car accident attorney at Mariano Morales Law in Yakima is free of charge. We will give you an honest opinion about how and whether we can help you. If we think we can’t maximize your recovery, we’ll tell you. If we believe we can do better for you than you can on your own, we’ll explain how we plan to do it – and we still won’t charge you a legal fee unless and until we obtain money for you.
  5. Get started now. Once you have a Yakima Valley car accident attorney from Mariano Morales Law on your side, all of your dealing with the insurance company is as simple as saying, “Talk to my attorney.” Meanwhile, we will be working every day to determine the full extent of your injuries and losses, and to ensure that in the end you have received a settlement that includes every dollar you deserve. Call us or use our online contact form to begin today.