What to do in the first week
- Get medical attention and follow through with it. Gaps in treatment are the first thing an insurance adjuster uses to argue you were not badly hurt.
- Photograph everything, the scene, the vehicles or hazard, and your visible injuries as they change over the following days.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer. You are not required to, and that call exists to find something to use against you.
- Do not accept a fast settlement offer. An early offer arrives before anyone knows the full extent of your injury, which is exactly why it arrives early.
- Keep every bill, record and receipt, and a simple note of days of work missed.
The deadline is real, and it is different in every state
Each state sets its own statute of limitations, and some of the states we serve are considerably shorter than others; certain claims, particularly those against government entities, carry much shorter notice requirements measured in months. Miss the deadline and the claim is gone regardless of how strong it was. If you are anywhere near a possible deadline, call (800) 355-1504 today rather than reading further.
How fault is decided matters enormously here
Our six states do not share one rule, and the difference can decide whether you recover anything at all. Some apply a comparative fault rule, reducing your recovery in proportion to your share of the blame. Others apply a much harsher contributory negligence rule, under which being even slightly at fault can bar recovery completely. This is one of the sharpest state-to-state contrasts in American injury law, and it is the main reason a general internet answer about your case is worthless. We will tell you in the first conversation which rule applies to you and what it means.
What a claim can recover
Compensation typically covers medical treatment already received and reasonably expected in future, lost wages and lost earning capacity, out-of-pocket costs, and the non-economic harm, pain, loss of function, and the things you can no longer do. Where a death has resulted, a wrongful death claim belongs to the surviving family and often runs alongside a probate estate.
Our fee
We take injury cases on a contingency fee: our fee is a percentage of what we recover, agreed in writing before we start, and we are paid nothing if we recover nothing. Case expenses are explained in the same agreement. You will never receive a bill from us for an injury matter while it is pending.
An honest note on outcomes
No lawyer can promise you a result, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome, and what your case is worth depends on the facts, the available insurance coverage, your medical evidence, and the law of your state.