No one anticipates involvement in a Tennessee car crash, so you may not know what to do – and what not to do – when navigating a personal injury claim in the aftermath of one. However, the steps you take after suffering an injury in a car wreck may help determine how much you receive as far as a settlement – and whether you receive any settlement at all.
Per the National Law Review, the following common mistakes may hurt your chances of recovering financially after a car crash.
1. Waiting too long to take action
There are limits to how long you have to pursue a personal injury claim against the driver whose actions caused your injury. In Tennessee, you have one year from the day your injury occurred to pursue a personal injury claim against the offending driver.
2. Admitting fault
The aftermath of a car wreck is often chaotic and tensions may be high, but try not to react too quickly by apologizing to the other driver or admitting fault in any way. Doing so before you have all the facts of the case may come back to bite you.
3. Accepting your insurance company’s first offer
It benefits insurance companies to pay out as little as possible when they know they have to pay something. However, you have no obligation to accept an insurance company’s first offer and you may do yourself a disservice by doing so.
A Tennessee car wreck may lead to physical as well as financial hardships. Avoiding these three common errors may help you put yourself on the road to not only physical but financial recovery, too.