It is essential to seek the advice and representation of a knowledgeable attorney immediately after a motor vehicle collision in order to protect your short and long term interests. Suffering injury and other damages at the hands of a negligent party is an unfortunate situation that necessitates immediate counsel from an experienced law firm that specializes in dealing with car crashes and insurance companies.
It is standard practice for insurance companies to take statements from the involved parties as soon after a collision as they possibly can. While such fact-finding may seem innocent enough to the layperson, without proper representation injured parties may make seemingly innocuous statements that can be used against their interests at a later date. Attorney representation from the onset will ensure that your rights are protected under Colorado law and that you are not undermining your own case merely because you were unaware as to how to deal with an insurance company.
Insurance companies are also known to pressure an early settlement out of unrepresented injured parties. They try to do this despite the fact that the full extent of the injured party’s damages is still unknown. These unknown damages may include but are not limited to, economic damages such as past/future medical bills and wage loss; permanent physical impairment; and general damages such as pain and suffering. Their goal is to pay you as quickly and as little as possible – it is not to compensate you for all of your losses. Attorney representation will ensure that your damages are fully developed and your case is presented to the insurance company at the appropriate time for potential settlement or litigation.
Yet another reason to seek an attorney after a collision is to preserve all of the evidence necessary to prove your case. A lot of collision-related evidence can be lost within a few days or weeks. This evidence includes the involved-vehicles themselves; witness and police officer statements; videos of the incident; audio recordings of calls made from the scene; photographs; and physical evidence from the scene itself.
At The Wilhite Law Firm, we use all resources at our disposal to secure and protect such evidence. For instance, we immediately put the defendant(s) and their insurance company on notice that they must safeguard all evidence. In addition to that, we use licensed and experienced investigators to survey the scene; interview the involved parties and witnesses, and collect any and all other relevant evidence. Without an immediate response from a professional team, evidence can be lost and never recovered. Delaying these essential early steps in a case can detrimentally affect your claim against the at-fault party and the insurance company.
We at The Wilhite Law Firm have seen many cases come in to our office months after the collision occurred. During that time, recorded statements have been given without attorney representation and evidence has been lost. While these cases are often fought and won, it is best practice to avoid these unnecessary and self-created pitfalls from the beginning.
