I was just involved in an auto accident, what can I do right now to protect my rights?

(1) Turn your phone off: Ok, you don’t literally need to switch your phone off, but stop taking calls from any numbers you don’t recognize. Insurance companies will immediately begin calling you in an effort to obtain a recorded statement concerning your collision, have you sign medical authorization forms, and ask you for a whole host of information. Understand, these companies do not want to help you! Their motivation is to limit your recovery in any way possible. Do not take their calls. It will not help your case.

​(2) Stop posting on Facebook: It is commonplace for insurance companies and their attorneys to look up and print out information from injured individuals’ Facebook accounts. The implication here is that if you are posting happy looking pictures of yourself on Facebook following a significant auto accident, then you must be just fine. Do not harm your case by continuing to post photos, status updates, or any other information on social media following your accident. Anything you post can and will be used against you!

​(3) Document your injuries: Photograph and/or video bruised, swollen, injured areas of your body. Visual depictions of severe injuries can tell a jury a thousand words about the pain and suffering that you have experienced. Although it may be uncomfortable, make sure to document your damages cases through photos and videos.

(4) If you are hurt, stay home from work: The majority of people are dead-set against allowing severe injuries to alter their daily routines. This leads to individuals rushing back to school, work, etc. when they are physically and mentally incapable of going back. The negative effects of this are two-fold. First, you will likely fail in fulfilling your responsibilities. Second, the fact that you went back to work or school will be used against you to suggest that you were not actually badly injured. As hard as it may be, resting up and regaining your health is better for you physically and case-wise.

(5) Call a Lake and Cook County Injury attorney: ​We have bee handling cases like yours for a combined 70 plus years. We are aware of all the standard defense tactics used to minimize your eventual recovery. We can assist with stopping calls from insurance companies and bill collectors, preserving critical evidence, and securing you fair and reasonable compensation. Call us today at (847) 416-1989 for your free case consultation and damages assessment.