Call a New York Auto Accident Attorney First
A New York auto accident attorney should be your primary contact if you are involved in an accident regardless of how small the accident may seem at the time. In New York many people that are involved in an accident make the mistake of leaving the scene after exchanging information due to the fact that they want to clear up the situation and restore things to normal as quickly as possible. Often they have sustained injuries that are not apparent at the time and manifest symptoms hours, or even days, later. Even severe head injuries may not be immediately apparent due to shock or adrenal stimulation immediately following an auto accident.
Following most auto accidents in New York it is a common practice for an investigator from the insurance company, of either party, to proceed with questions as to your well being as the victim. It is imperative that you provide no information to that person. The investigators job is to keep any settlement as low as possible. Despite the fact that the person really appears to have your best interest in mind, the investigator is focused on one thing only and that is the bottom line of the company that writes his paycheck. The assurance that your financial and physical conditions are of primary importance is just a veil to hide true motivation.
When you first contact an insurance company instead of an auto accident attorney in New York, you will be speaking with their first line of defense. It will be a clerk who will send you a tempting offer to settle your claim. This will be a nominal amount in hopes that you will take it and go away. When you refuse this offer they will usually add a small amount to the settlement and tell you that they have sent there final offer and will try to intimidate you into acceptance. This is an unfair game that they play. You may have future medical expenses, complications, loss of wages and even rehabilitation in your future. They are well aware of this fact and want you off of their caseload as quickly as possible.
When you hire a auto accident lawyer in New York to handle your case you have changed the entire playing field. The offers increase dramatically and are rejected as quickly as they arrive. The experienced accident injury attorney will know from experience exactly how deep the insurance company will be willing to reach to come up with a reasonable settlement for your case. That is why it is of utmost importance that you speak with an attorney as soon as possible following any auto accident.
There are several steps you can take before calling a auto accident attorney to make your case easier for the attorney to litigate: