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Do’s and Dont’s After Experiencing an Injury | Denver Personal Injury

Chris Parrish | 829 Views | 01/29/2015

Well, the first ten things you do after an accident could make or break a case and have a huge impact on how much money you’re able to recover from your insurance company. So today we’re sharing the top do’s and don’ts after an injury. Colorado’s best attorney, Phil Harding, couldn’t be here today, so his partner in crime here, Chris Parrish from Harding and Associates, joins us today. Welcome Chris.

Thank you for having me.

So what’s it like working with Phil?

With Phil. Phil’s great. Really great.

Yeah. We love working with him on the show here. He really kind of goes through legalese 101.

He does. He really breaks it down.

And step by step.

For the lay person and for the attorney.

Absolutely. He teaches attorneys too, right?

Yeah. And one great thing about Phil is all attorneys at our firm are available at all times.

Yeah. He’s shown us a couple of times. We’ve had fun with his cell phone. Calling his cell phone to see if he’s really available 24/7. Does that apply to all of you? All attorneys?

All of us, yeah. And it’s great, just being available. We find most of the time, clients don’t even need to call. Just the thought that we’re there helps them feel better.

Just knowing. Give them that–

And if they do need do need something, we are obviously there to help.

That peace of mind. That’s so important.

Yeah.

All right. So, we’re talking about why it is so important to have an attorney representing you if you’re in an accident or you have an injury.

I think, first of all, most people aren’t used to dealing with these insurance companies.

Sure.

They speak a little bit different language. They try and use the laws to not your advantage. They don’t represent you and that’s the first thing people need to know. And as attorneys, we deal with that day in and day out, and so we’re ready to–

Yeah. You’re used to it.

Yeah.

You’ve got the experience.

Yeah.

It’s all about, if you’re in an accident you want the best representation, of course, and we can’t always represent ourselves. We want the most money.

Correct.

And we want to pay out the least amount of money.

Correct.

But to do that on our own would be virtually impossible.

Yeah, it would be. First of all, just having an attorney is going to get you more money. They know you have an attorney.

They know you’re serious when you have an attorney, right?

They know you’re serious. Exactly. And they typically treat you differently. A different person within the insurance company will handle your case. And then on the back end there’s certain things, like reducing the amounts that are owed and most people don’t think to do that. But there’s a lot of laws out there that are to your benefit and attorneys who practice in this area know that and are able to use that to reduce that. So you’re maximizing this, minimizing this, and really netting out the most.

Yeah. I want to maximize the amount coming to me. I want to minimize the amount paying out.

That’s correct.

Excellent. All right. So let’s talk about, kind of, the different types of insurance that are out there and what you look for in a case to see after an accident, maybe there’s an owner of a car who has insurance, maybe there’s the driver of the car who has insurance. You know every little thing to look for, right?

Yeah, for sure, and I think there’s– yes, here’s a graphic coming up. First and foremost, you’re going to look to the owner of the car. Do they have insurance? And a lot of times, the owner of the car of the person that hit you, is in fact the driver. Sometimes not. So you’ll look at both of those layers. Outside of that, you’re going to look at something called underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage.

The UM/UIM.

The UM/UIM.

Yeah. Phil has taught us a lot about that.

Exactly. And that really does come into play. And that’s under your own policy. That’ll come into play if the driver who hit you doesn’t have enough insurance or doesn’t have any insurance at all. Further, there may be multiple layers of UM. You may have multiple policies. You may be a permissive driver on someone at your household, such as a family member like a father or a mother. So a lot of different things to look at and make sure that those avenues are exhausted.

So if other people – maybe in the household – have it, that could affect your case, as well?

Absolutely.

I would never think of that in a million years.

And most people don’t. And so that’s just something that you kind of have to practice to have that make sense.

It’s another reason to have an attorney.

Yeah.

All right. So we mentioned off the top that we were going to go through some do’s and don’ts after an injury.

Sure.

So let’s go through some of the do’s first, if you would.

Sure. I think first and foremost probably, and it’s a little out of order, is see a doctor. If you’re injured, go see somebody, get treated, get your injuries taken care of. The next thing, if you’re actually at the scene and you can, get the witness’s name, the contact numbers, people who are going to be able to help present your case. Take pictures of the scene. Take pictures of the cause of the injury. Normally, it’s a car if it’s an automobile accident.

And almost anybody has a cell phone they can snap a quick photo with these days.

Exactly. Or maybe someone shows up in your family who has one and you’re in shock, they’re not. Let them take the pictures. Take any pictures of any injuries. And lastly, follow your doctor’s orders and create a pain log. See how your progressing day to day.

That’s a difficult one.

It is.

I think a lot of people, we’re like, “Oh well, I have a record that I went to the doctor. That’ll be enough.”

Right.

But, no. You really do need to keep the pain log. Phil has taught us about that, because sometimes the pain moves around.

It does. And it gives you an idea as you’re progressing of, “Hey, I’m actually feeling a lot better than I was a week ago, even though I still feel bad.” And that can give someone hope and hope can help heal.

Yeah. And it goes both ways. Maybe you feel better that day, or maybe you feel worse, or maybe it’s changed. That’s important to log that.

Absolutely.

All right. So we did some do’s. Now let’s go over some don’ts. What are the biggies that you should not do after an injury?

Don’t immediately – this is very important – don’t talk to the other side’s insurance. There’s absolutely no duty under Colorado law for you–

Good to know.

As an injured person, to talk to the other person’s insurance.

Even if they’re pressuring you?

They’re going to treat you like you are their best friend. You don’t need to talk to them. Don’t sign medical releases. Don’t send over medical bills, and if you do, make sure that the amounts that are paid are redacted. And don’t settle a case until you’re totally better, and doctors call that MMI. Once you’re finally going to settle, just make sure you know what you owe.

All right. Very good. Great information. We appreciate it.

Yeah, you bet.

You and Harding and Associates always help us out here. And if you have any questions, legal questions, and you’d like to contact Harding and Associates, you can go to our website, coloradosbest.tv. You see Phil’s picture there. You can go on it. You can also call them directly 303-762-9500. You can also go online to hlaw.org. Thanks, Chris.

Thank you.

By: Chris Parrish; Norris Injury Lawyers P.C. Alabama car accident attorneys.

Do’s and Dont’s After Experiencing an Injury | Denver Personal Injury

Well, the first ten things you do after an accident could make or break a case and have a huge impact on how much money you’re able to recover from your insurance company. So today we’re sharing the top do’s and don’ts after an injury. Colorado’s best attorney, Phil Harding, couldn’t be here today, so his partner in crime here, Chris Parrish from Harding and Associates, joins us today. Welcome Chris.

Thank you for having me.

So what’s it like working with Phil?

With Phil. Phil’s great. Really great.

Yeah. We love working with him on the show here. He really kind of goes through legalese 101.

He does. He really breaks it down.

And step by step.

For the lay person and for the attorney.

Absolutely. He teaches attorneys too, right?

Yeah. And one great thing about Phil is all attorneys at our firm are available at all times.

Yeah. He’s shown us a couple of times. We’ve had fun with his cell phone. Calling his cell phone to see if he’s really available 24/7. Does that apply to all of you? All attorneys?

All of us, yeah. And it’s great, just being available. We find most of the time, clients don’t even need to call. Just the thought that we’re there helps them feel better.

Just knowing. Give them that–

And if they do need do need something, we are obviously there to help.

That peace of mind. That’s so important.

Yeah.

All right. So, we’re talking about why it is so important to have an attorney representing you if you’re in an accident or you have an injury.

I think, first of all, most people aren’t used to dealing with these insurance companies.

Sure.

They speak a little bit different language. They try and use the laws to not your advantage. They don’t represent you and that’s the first thing people need to know. And as attorneys, we deal with that day in and day out, and so we’re ready to–

Yeah. You’re used to it.

Yeah.

You’ve got the experience.

Yeah.

It’s all about, if you’re in an accident you want the best representation, of course, and we can’t always represent ourselves. We want the most money.

Correct.

And we want to pay out the least amount of money.

Correct.

But to do that on our own would be virtually impossible.

Yeah, it would be. First of all, just having an attorney is going to get you more money. They know you have an attorney.

They know you’re serious when you have an attorney, right?

They know you’re serious. Exactly. And they typically treat you differently. A different person within the insurance company will handle your case. And then on the back end there’s certain things, like reducing the amounts that are owed and most people don’t think to do that. But there’s a lot of laws out there that are to your benefit and attorneys who practice in this area know that and are able to use that to reduce that. So you’re maximizing this, minimizing this, and really netting out the most.

Yeah. I want to maximize the amount coming to me. I want to minimize the amount paying out.

That’s correct.

Excellent. All right. So let’s talk about, kind of, the different types of insurance that are out there and what you look for in a case to see after an accident, maybe there’s an owner of a car who has insurance, maybe there’s the driver of the car who has insurance. You know every little thing to look for, right?

Yeah, for sure, and I think there’s– yes, here’s a graphic coming up. First and foremost, you’re going to look to the owner of the car. Do they have insurance? And a lot of times, the owner of the car of the person that hit you, is in fact the driver. Sometimes not. So you’ll look at both of those layers. Outside of that, you’re going to look at something called underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage.

The UM/UIM.

The UM/UIM.

Yeah. Phil has taught us a lot about that.

Exactly. And that really does come into play. And that’s under your own policy. That’ll come into play if the driver who hit you doesn’t have enough insurance or doesn’t have any insurance at all. Further, there may be multiple layers of UM. You may have multiple policies. You may be a permissive driver on someone at your household, such as a family member like a father or a mother. So a lot of different things to look at and make sure that those avenues are exhausted.

So if other people – maybe in the household – have it, that could affect your case, as well?

Absolutely.

I would never think of that in a million years.

And most people don’t. And so that’s just something that you kind of have to practice to have that make sense.

It’s another reason to have an attorney.

Yeah.

All right. So we mentioned off the top that we were going to go through some do’s and don’ts after an injury.

Sure.

So let’s go through some of the do’s first, if you would.

Sure. I think first and foremost probably, and it’s a little out of order, is see a doctor. If you’re injured, go see somebody, get treated, get your injuries taken care of. The next thing, if you’re actually at the scene and you can, get the witness’s name, the contact numbers, people who are going to be able to help present your case. Take pictures of the scene. Take pictures of the cause of the injury. Normally, it’s a car if it’s an automobile accident.

And almost anybody has a cell phone they can snap a quick photo with these days.

Exactly. Or maybe someone shows up in your family who has one and you’re in shock, they’re not. Let them take the pictures. Take any pictures of any injuries. And lastly, follow your doctor’s orders and create a pain log. See how your progressing day to day.

That’s a difficult one.

It is.

I think a lot of people, we’re like, “Oh well, I have a record that I went to the doctor. That’ll be enough.”

Right.

But, no. You really do need to keep the pain log. Phil has taught us about that, because sometimes the pain moves around.

It does. And it gives you an idea as you’re progressing of, “Hey, I’m actually feeling a lot better than I was a week ago, even though I still feel bad.” And that can give someone hope and hope can help heal.

Yeah. And it goes both ways. Maybe you feel better that day, or maybe you feel worse, or maybe it’s changed. That’s important to log that.

Absolutely.

All right. So we did some do’s. Now let’s go over some don’ts. What are the biggies that you should not do after an injury?

Don’t immediately – this is very important – don’t talk to the other side’s insurance. There’s absolutely no duty under Colorado law for you–

Good to know.

As an injured person, to talk to the other person’s insurance.

Even if they’re pressuring you?

They’re going to treat you like you are their best friend. You don’t need to talk to them. Don’t sign medical releases. Don’t send over medical bills, and if you do, make sure that the amounts that are paid are redacted. And don’t settle a case until you’re totally better, and doctors call that MMI. Once you’re finally going to settle, just make sure you know what you owe.

All right. Very good. Great information. We appreciate it.

Yeah, you bet.

You and Harding and Associates always help us out here. And if you have any questions, legal questions, and you’d like to contact Harding and Associates, you can go to our website, coloradosbest.tv. You see Phil’s picture there. You can go on it. You can also call them directly 303-762-9500. You can also go online to hlaw.org. Thanks, Chris.

Thank you.

By: Chris Parrish; Norris Injury Lawyers P.C. Alabama car accident attorneys.