TOP FIVE THINGS NOT TO DO AFTER A CAR WRECK – in Northwest Arkansas …or any where else.

When you or a family member has been injured in an automobile accident due to another driver’s negligence, there are a few BIG mistakes I see people make that can often impact the fairness of the resolution of your personal injury claim or claims. Here is my top five list of mistakes that can be game changers in that regard:

5.  Paying attention to healthcare and other solicitations arriving in the mail. (You will likely be bombarded with solicitations from pain clinics, chiropractors and/or a combination of healthcare providers …and lawyers. Ask yourself, “how did they know I was in a wreck and if they are so good at what they do, why do they need to do this?”)

4. Posting about your accident on Facebook or social media. (That is the first place insurance adjusters and defense attorneys will go to look for anything that will hurt your claim. Do not discuss any aspect of your accident online. Go silent on social media.)

3.  Ignoring initial pain and refusing initial care and treatment and/or settling a claim too soon. (In the immediate wake of a collision, you most likely will be worried, angry, embarrassed, nervous, and tense, with a thousand things going through your head …but you may be really hurt, too.  Get checked out thoroughly and follow the advice of the professionals when it comes to follow-up care. NEVER sign a release until you are sure you are finished treating and know the full extent of your injuries.)

2. Failing to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney right away. (You have no idea how many times in my twenty-five years of doing this I have had to attempt to re-build claims that have been mangled by good people who thought they could go it alone. Don’t go to a gun fight with a butter knife.)

…and the number 1 mistake I see people make after a car wreck is:

1. Talking to the insurance company for the at-fault driver.  (The insurance company for the person who caused the wreck is not “on your side” or “a good neighbor” or “good hands”…that you want to be in. The bodily injury adjuster has one goal in mind and that is to get your name on a piece of paper called a release as quickly as possible for as little money as possible. Just don’t talk to them …period … or at least NOT until you have been fully advised by an experience personal injury attorney.)

-bruce

Call me anytime and I will be glad to discuss your case with no obligation.

Here’s my cell: (479) 936-4384

 

Please click HERE to learn more about our firm.

We proudly represent families all over Arkansas in serious injury and death cases. If you or a family member is involved in a car accident in any of the following locations, we are nearby and ready to help: I-49, Benton County, Washington County, Madison County, Carroll County, Sebastian County, Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell, Springdale, Fayetteville, Van Buren, Fort Smith, Huntsville, Siloam Springs, Harrison, Green Forest, Eureka Springs, West Fork, Garfield, Gentry, Gravette, Centerton, Gravette, Decatur, Mena, Elm Springs, Cave Springs, Alma …and everywhere in between.

THE BEST PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER IN ROGERS, SPRINGDALE OR FAYETTEVILLE – may be in Bentonville!

When looking for the right attorney, sometimes I think folks are too quick to just look at the lawyers in the town in which they live. The fact is, most personal injury or wrongful death claims that arise from an auto accident or truck accident, should the claim not be settled out of court, are going to be litigated in Arkansas and any attorney licensed in this state can practice in any State court in this state. (Most can also practice in U. S. District Court, if the case involves parties from different states.)

Finding the right law firm can be the single most important decision a family can make following a wreck.  Inexperience and/or disorganization can spell disaster for a claim. If important matters are relegated to new attorneys, law clerks, paralegals or secretaries, without proper oversight by an experienced personal injury attorney, the settlement value of the injury claim can be seriously compromised. Moreover, from the initial letter of representation, the insurance company on the other side of the case begins to set its reserves (or determine its valuation) on the claim and, make no mistake, the insurance company knows if the case is actually being handled by the “staff” or by the lawyer.  Thus, bigger may not equate to better, when it comes to the right law firm for a case.

The communities of Northwest Arkansas have expanded along the I-49 corridor such that, in many respects, it is now a single metropolitan area. Aside from the initial attorney-client conference, which in the case of our firm can occur wherever the clients would prefer to meet, rarely are families required to actually travel to the location of the law firm. As most routine matters can now be handled by email, these days choosing a law firm simply because it is located down the street, makes much less sense than it did in years past.

The bottom line is that when an accident occurs, and certainly if there is a serious injury or death involved, a family should take the time to really look around, even beyond their immediate community, and choose an attorney who they believe has the experience to handle the case, is genuinely respected in the community, hard-working, honest and fair. The home team may not always be the best team for the job.

Please click HERE to learn more about our firm.

We proudly represent families all over Arkansas in serious injury and death cases. If you or a family member is involved in a car accident in any of the following locations, we are nearby and ready to help: I-49, Benton County, Washington County, Madison County, Carroll County, Sebastian County, Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell, Springdale, Fayetteville, Van Buren, Fort Smith, Huntsville, Siloam Springs, Harrison, Green Forest, Eureka Springs, West Fork, Garfield, Gentry, Gravette, Centerton, Gravette, Decatur, Mena, Elm Springs, Cave Springs, Alma …and everywhere in between.

Original graphic artwork by Ari Mulkey.

TOP RATED NORTHWEST ARKANSAS CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY – Gives out his cell phone number!

A recent conversation I had with a fellow attorney went something like this:

Fellow attorney:   You give out your personal cell phone number to your clients?

Me:   Yes.

Fellow attorney:   Are you kidding?

Me:   No. It’s the only number on my business card and it’s on my website:

Fellow attorney:   Why? Don’t you worry your clients will call you …like  in the evening?

Me:   No, not at all. If they need to speak to me, I want them to be able to reach me.

Fellow attorney:  I’ll talk to my client when I’m working.

Me:   Clients work too and sometimes have issues that arise after 5:00 p.m. and before 8:00 a.m. If I can, I will take the call. If not, I’ll call them back. I want them to know that I’m available when they need me.

The lawyer remained somewhat incredulous, but the fact is, I became a lawyer in order to help people and people do not just need my help on my time. This is especially the case in the immediate aftermath of a car wreck. A personal injury or wrongful death attorney is useless if he or she is “unavailable.”

A family’s life can be turned upside down even in what initially appears to be a minor car accident: someone is hurt; a two-car family just became one; insurance companies are calling; medical bills are stacking up; the car is impounded at the tow company; the family is losing income; slick solicitation letters from lawyers are suddenly piling up in the mailbox ( …not from me!)

New questions come up every hour: What about a rental car? Which insurance company is responsible? Should I fight this ticket? Should I give the insurance company a statement? How do I get my car fixed? Should my health insurance pay this bill? What happens next?

If, God forbid, the accident involves serious injury or death, the whole world crashes to a stop for the affected family. These issues and questions, while magnified ten-fold, take a back seat to worry, exhaustion and grief. The family needs someone they can entrust with these worries so that they can concentrate on each other.

Saying “we love our clients” means being there for them. That is exactly why I give our clients my cell phone number and always will. Please click HERE to see all of my Avvo client reviews.

We proudly represent families all over Arkansas in serious injury and death cases. If you or a family member is involved in a car accident in any of the following locations, we are nearby and ready to help: I-49, Benton County, Washington County, Madison County, Carroll County, Sebastian County, Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell, Springdale, Fayetteville, Van Buren, Fort Smith, Huntsville, Siloam Springs, Harrison, Green Forest, Eureka Springs, West Fork, Garfield, Centerton, Gravette, Decatur, Mena, Elm Springs, Cave Springs, Alma …and everywhere in between.