If you’ve been injured in a car accident, it’s usually unwise to delay taking legal action. The sooner you seek medical attention, report the accident, and hire a car accident injury lawyer in San Antonio to file your claim, the better your chances of recovering compensation for medical bills and other losses. The following is a breakdown of how procrastination may hinder or even ruin your car accident claim.
What Are the Legal Consequences of Delaying a Car Accident Injury Claim?
After experiencing a car accident, you’re likely to be hurt, shaken up, and unsure of what to do next. This uncertainty can cause injured accident victims to delay taking action. The intimidating prospect of dealing with difficult insurance companies may also lead to deliberate delay. Sometimes injured victims don’t even realize they can seek compensation for their injuries from the at-fault driver’s insurer, and they neglect to consult with an attorney to learn their legal rights until it’s too late.
Another common cause for delay is believing injuries to be minor and not worth the trouble of filing a claim, even though it’s possible for symptoms of serious car accident injuries to develop long after the incident. And when a victim is severely injured and hospitalized for a prolonged period of time, they might decide to put off legal action until they’ve fully recovered. No matter the reason, delaying taking action following a car accident is usually a costly error.
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Your Credibility Suffers When You Delay
Whenever there’s a significant gap between an accident and the claim, the insurance company becomes suspicious. Your credibility is more likely to be called into question, and the insurance adjuster sent to investigate your accident may find it easier to cast doubt over your claim.
The adjuster may decide that any injuries you’re suffering from were caused elsewhere and not during the accident itself. They may also dispute their policyholder’s liability for any property damage to your car. The more time that passes following an accident, the harder a job your attorney will have in linking your losses and damages to the incident and claiming compensation for them.
Secure the compensation you deserve by understanding the process of filing a car accident lawsuit with our dedicated legal support.
Never Delay in Seeking Medical Attention
In a car crash claim or lawsuit, most damages will be connected to the injuries suffered, such as medical bills, lost wages due to the injury, physical pain, and emotional suffering. But if you can’t prove clearly that your injuries were caused by the at-fault driver, the insurance company can legally refuse to pay for any of these damages.
This is why it’s crucial to seek immediate medical attention after an accident, even if you feel fine. When you visit the emergency room or have a checkup with your regular doctor, the medical records will later serve as evidence firmly connecting your injuries to the accident. Failing to seek medical attention may also cause undetected injuries to worsen. Sometimes even severe and dangerous injuries like neck injuries, back injuries, internal organ injuries, and brain injuries have delayed symptoms.
Evidence and Memories Fade as Time Passes
When you file a claim or lawsuit with the at-fault driver’s insurance company, your attorney will need to build a robust case based on evidence. But as time passes, evidence becomes harder to gather and the memories of eyewitnesses begin to fade.
This is why it’s almost always important to hire an attorney to prepare and file your car accident claim sooner rather than later. Even if you’re severely injured and recovering in the hospital, your attorney can leap into action and strike while the iron’s hot.
You Have a Two-Year Deadline in Texas
In Texas, the Statute of Limitations places a two-year deadline on car accident claims and lawsuits following a collision. Two years may seem like a long time, but once a claim is filed, legal proceedings can sometimes stretch on for months or even years, especially when the injuries are particularly severe or multiple vehicles were involved in the crash.
Also, your attorney will often file an insurance claim as a preliminary stage before filing a lawsuit. During the settlement negotiations, if the deadline for filing a lawsuit passes, your attorney’s ability to push for fair compensation may become severely hindered.
You Have Ten Days to File a Police Report
In Texas, car accidents must be reported to the police within ten days. If you miss this deadline, you can potentially face misdemeanor criminal charges, especially if it was a serious accident.
Even though you have ten days to report the crash, it’s best to report it immediately. When the police come to the accident scene, the police report can serve as critical evidence in any subsequent insurance claim or lawsuit.
Hire a Car Accident Injury Lawyer in San Antonio
Following an auto accident, the best way to clear away confusion, understand your rights, and take prompt legal action is by consulting with an attorney right away. Your attorney can start investigating the accident and gathering evidence immediately.
They can also file your claim and negotiate effectively with the insurance provider to push for a fair settlement. Learn more here about how seasoned Texan car accident attorneys fight to attain financial justice for their clients.
After suffering an injury in a car accident, you may be tempted to delay taking legal action. But as you can see, this is rarely a good idea. The sooner you hire an attorney to get to work on your claim, the more likely you are to recover the full compensation you deserve.
