What To Do After a Pittsburgh Car Accident

Pittsburgh car accident lawyers explain the rules of the road and crash compensation

Like most people, you probably never thought that you would be hurt in a car accident or that you would need the services of a car accident lawyer. When you are involved in a crash, however, there are many things to consider that will impact your future. Below are key rules that the Pittsburgh car accident lawyers at Romanow Law Group want everyone to know.

Following these guidelines will ensure you never disqualify yourself from financial recovery. If you were hurt in a Pittsburgh car accident, learn more about how we can help. Call 1-844-GET-MORE or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a car accident attorney.

1. Get Prompt Medical Attention for Your Injuries.
   Defense firms use the same tactics to deny responsibility for accident related injuries. One of their favorite go-to moves is to deny coverage because treatment was delayed. If you don’t immediately report your symptoms, they will claim that you must be faking your injuries. It is critical for both your own health and your claim that you get immediate medical attention after an accident and document all of symptoms that you are experiencing from the wreck.

2. Call us immediately after your accident.
   From the second that your car accident is reported, the insurance adjusters are working on devaluing your potential claims and limiting your rights. The earlier on in the process that you retain a personal injury lawyer, the more beneficial it will be to your case. The insurance companies have made the claims handling process complex and there are pitfalls at almost every turn. Our car accident lawyers will prevent you from making a potentially critical mistake and reducing your chances at a full recovery.

3. Don’t talk to any insurance adjusters until after you have called Romanow Law Group.
   Whenever you talk an insurance adjuster on the phone it is on a recorded line. The conversation is not being recorded for “quality control purposes.” The reality is that they are attempting to dig up facts to diminish the value of your claim or possibly deny it. Speaking to an insurance adjuster without counsel can only damage your claim. Our car accident lawyers start working on your case the same day that we are retained, and the adjusters can’t bother you again.

4. Be careful who you provide information to about your car accident. Not everyone is your friend.
   It is important to remember that while you have an ongoing claim everything that you do is theoretically evidence and everyone you talk to could be a witness. Oversharing is commonplace in today’s age of social media. Everything that you post online, even if you think your account is private, is potentially discoverable by the defense and could be used against you in court. It is important to protect your own interests after you have been injured in a car accident.

5. Car accident injuries tend to initially get worse before they improve. Don’t settle your claim until you have a full clinical picture of your injuries and path to recovery.
   One of the worst mistakes you can make is to settle your case before you are done with treatment. It is important to remember that once you settle your case, you can never go back and ask for more money. It’s over. The insurance companies want to settle your case before you realize that you may be a surgical candidate or that your symptoms won’t go away. The negligent party is responsible for compensating you for medical bills and lost wages that may occur years down the road. For this reason, if your future prognosis is unknown, don’t settle your case.

6. The lawyer you select to represent you in your injury case makes a difference.
   Our firm’s tagline is “The Best Lawyers Don’t Cost You More, They Get You More” so, obviously, we believe that the lawyer you choose changes the result. In many cases, the party with the better lawyer wins. The insurance companies offer more money when you have a top-level lawyer representing you. Insurance companies are sophisticated, and they keep detailed records on lawyers. If you select a lawyer who doesn’t litigate cases or practices in a different area of the law, it will reduce the settlement value of your claim. If you retain a law firm that uses paralegals to process cases, your claim will be valued lower. Our lawyers get results, which is why our injury lawyers maintain a perfect 5-star rating from past clients.

7. The insurance company is not on your side.
   No matter how friendly an insurance adjuster appears on the phone, they are not on your side. Adjusters are trained to minimize exposure, not help you. Don’t let an adjuster tell you what your claim is worth. Our personal injury lawyers will spend as much time as necessary advising you of your rights and what your accident claim is worth. Don’t waste the first and most crucial months of your case negotiating with an adjuster who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.

8. Most car accident cases settle out of court.
   A good personal injury lawyer will maximize your chances of settling your claim for what it’s worth without going to court. Our car accident lawyers have the talent and build the type of cases that pressure the defendants to settle. We hire the best expert possible for our clients’ cases and use every resource at our firm’s disposal to ensure that your claim is getting valued correctly. This means that in most instances we can settle your claim for top dollar without having to go to court.

9. All car accident lawyers charge on a contingency fee basis. This means that you pay a percentage of the money collected on your case as the legal fee. If no money is collected, you pay nothing.
   Car accident lawyers never charge hourly fees or request retainers. This means that after an accident you are free to choose the lawyer that you believe is the best to handle your case. Our car accident lawyers can offer you more than just the promise not to charge you until the end. We have the talent, resources and willingness to help our clients recover financially and physically after an accident.

10. You hired a lawyer. You should always have access to your attorney, not just a member of the support staff.
    Make sure you get what you pay for. You paid for a lawyer to litigate your claim, not for a legal assistant to process it. Many personal injury law firms use non-lawyer assistants to push through large numbers of claims, often with little or no attorney oversight. That is lucrative for the attorneys engaging in this type of practice, but never results in the best settlements for clients. Our car accident lawyers handle every aspect, from start to finish, of our clients’ cases. Our lawyers are always available to clients and make sure that our clients’ top priorities are always  the firm’s top priorities.