Every year in the United States hundreds of injuries go unreported because the victim doesn’t realize that they’re entitled to compensation, and by the time they figure it out it’s far too late. Don’t let that be you! If you’ve been injured in an accident, pick up the phone and dial an auto accident attorney before it’s too late to fight for your legal rights.
Do It Before You Forget
Auto accident attorneys from coast to coast tell their clients every day that the most important thing they can do if they’ve been injured in an accident is pick up the phone and call a personal injury attorney as quickly as possible. Over time the memory a victim has of an accident begins to blur, and they will eventually forget small details and become fuzzy on large ones that seem insignificant at the time but can make all the difference when it comes to obtaining a settlement for their injuries.
It is an unfortunate fact that the first reaction most individuals have after causing harm to another is to protest and defend their innocence-even if they know full well they’re guilty. No one wants to be the bad guy in our scene, but in their attempt to avoid being the villain they then put the burden of proof on the victim. It’s up to you as the victim to gather together the evidence that will prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that another person was responsible for your accident.
Your auto accident attorney can help you do this, but they can only do it if you can give them all of the details. Something as simple as looking over and noticing that they were talking on their cell phone while driving can make all the difference when it comes to proving their culpability. If you wait too long those details will become unclear, and you may find yourself losing out on the compensation you are entitled to.
Statute of Limitations
In an effort to keep individuals from seeking compensation ten or twenty years after an accident or wrongful death, most states have a statute of limitations on exactly how long after your accident you are allowed to seek legal retribution against the parties responsible before the case becomes mute. As a general rule of thumb this is one to two years; however, every state is different.
There are a number of reasons why victims wait to come forward and defend their legal rights following an accident. Nine times out of ten they are afraid, or they do not believe that the circumstances surrounding their accident will allow them to seek compensation. It is up to an auto accident attorney to help them make that determination, but they cannot do so if the victim does not seek them out before the state declares that they’ve waited long enough.
Time is of the essence when it comes to defending your legal right to compensation when you’ve been injured. If you’ve been hurt in an accident and haven’t yet contacted an auto accident attorney, pick up the phone and call now. It’s five minutes out of your day that could have a major impact on the rest of your life.
