Tag: personal injury law

Steps for Proper Automobile Repair After an Accident

Posted by David Curtis on

When you are involved in a car accident, and your vehicle sustains physical damage, there are certain steps one should take to get their automobile properly repaired:

  1. If you have full coverage, then use your own insurance to pay your claim.  Your own insurance company will treat you better because you are their customer.
  2. Don’t use the other person’s insurance to repair your car, unless you do not have full coverage.
  3. Do not give a recorded statement to the other person’s insurance company, unless there is an attorney present.  Saying the wrong thing to the other side can damage the outcome of your claim.  
  4. If your car is a total loss and you don’t have full coverage, try and have the car towed to your home or a secure location.  This will stop the accrual of storage costs at the tow yard.  Store costs can be as high as $35.00 per day.
  5. Make sure the police are called to the accident scene.  A Police report helps the insurance company determine liability faster.  
  6. Complete a RMV crash report.  Completing a crash report helps the insurance adjuster determine liability faster.  A crash report should be completed within five days of the accident in accordance with MGL c. 90, section 26.  This can be found at the RMV website www.massrmv.com/rmv/forms.  
  7. Take pictures of the accident scene.  Look for skid marks left on the roadway.  
  8. Take pictures of any bruising or lacerations to your body.
  9. Hire an experienced Haverhill personal injury attorney to help guide you to success with your claim.  

What should you do after a car accident?

Posted by David Curtis on

When you are involved in a car accident, there are certain steps one should take to protect their interests.  Sometimes after an accident, you are in a state of shock and perhaps not thinking clearly.  But, if you follow these simple steps, you will help yourself in the long run.

  1. Call the police.  Having the police come to the accident scene and take your statement as well as the statement of the other driver will preserve evidence.   This locks in the testimony of the at fault driver so that stories cannot be changed later.
  2. Complete a RMV crash report.  A crash report should be completed within five days of the accident in accordance with MGL c. 90, section 26.  This can be found at the RMV website www.massrmv.com/rmv/forms
  3. Do not communicate with the at fault driver’s insurance company.  They will try and obtain a recorded statement from you.  Without knowing what to say, you can say the wrong thing and diminish the value of your injury claim.
  4. If you are injured, seek medical attention immediately.  If you wait more than two weeks, the insurance company will discredit your treatment as not being related to the accident.
  5. If you have collision coverage, then use your own insurance to pay your auto claim.  Do not go through the at fault insurance to pay your auto damage claim.  They will not provide you with the same level of customer service.
  6. Take pictures of your damaged car and of any bruising you may have suffered during the accident.
  7. Hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to assist you with completing paperwork and negotiate your path with the injury claim.