If you have ever been in a car accident, you know how traumatic they can be, whether just resulting in minor damage or totaling your car and causing significant physical harm. At that moment, you are not in a good position to be deciding what to say to other drivers, the police, and insurance company representatives. Clients often ask us, “what should I have had said?” By the time you are asking that questions, however, you may have already cost yourself a significant amount of money. As a simple advice, here are the five things you should never say or do after a car accident.

I’m Sorry

It may seem uncivilized, but apologizing for an accident is often misconstrued as claiming fault for it. Apologizing for the accident, or suggesting that it was unavoidable, may later be twisted to suggest that you caused the accident. At that moment, you actually have no idea what caused the accident—were the roads unreasonably maintained, was there a mechanical defect in a vehicle, was the other driver impaired—and it is premature to be assigning or claiming fault.

I Guess So

Police officers and insurance company representatives are going to ask you a lot of questions after an accident, some innocent fact-finding and some aimed at assigning blame. There is a human instinct to try to help people answer the questions they are asking you by saying “I guess so” or “that sounds right.”  It is much better to say “I don’t know” in those situations.  First, it is true, as people rarely have a full grasp of all of the facts involved in an incident. Second, if your assumptions are proven wrong later, saying “I guess so” may suggest that you were lying, not just trying to be helpful.

I’m Fine

Most people are caring and want to know about your physical condition. Medical professionals and witnesses often want to make sure you are not in danger. But after an accident, you are not in a position to assess your physical condition. Trauma clouds your judgment. Many serious conditions take time to develop and having said that you are “fine” at the time of the accident will undermine your subsequent efforts to be compensated for that harm. Take the time to have a medical professional assess your condition, and wait to declare that you are “fine” until he or she tells you that themselves. 

Stay Off Social Media

Posting on social media after an accident about the accident or your injuries may come back to haunt you.  Saying that “I wasn’t hurt” or “I’m lucky to feel OK” now may negate later statements by medical professionals that you actually were suffering from an injury at that time that may not have started to bother you yet. Statements regarding your pain or fault will be used by insurance companies to dispute your claims later. So refrain from making any statements on social media until your case is over.

I Don’t Have an Attorney

Insurance companies want to dispose of a case as quickly and as cheaply as possible. They are likely to offer you money early on as a result of an accident, especially in the early days before you have had a chance to attain legal representation.  Instead of saying “I do not have an attorney” say that you are still considering legal representation or do not have an attorney yet.  The financial offers at this early stage of the case are the lowest they will be, delaying negotiations with the insurance company will likely result in their offer to increase. The threat of current or future legal representation will make insurance companies less likely to try to sway your judgment with low-ball offers now,

Contact Barrett Law now if you have been in an automobile accident or are dealing with insurance companies.

Barrett Law is an experienced Mississippi law firm with a seasoned Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney ready to talk with you now.  Calling us at (601) 790-1505 can mean the difference between being compensated what you deserve after an accident and having to live with injury, property damage, and financial uncertainty. We are standing by now to provide you with the advice you need to navigate this difficult time. 

You’ve probably heard about the dangers of concussions in the context of N.F.L. players experiencing serious brain injuries from a lifetime on the playing field.  While most of us will never suit up for a football game, concussions are a serious injury that anyone can experience as a result of a car accident.

Concussions are commonly occurring, mild brain injuries that can have dramatic long and short term consequences for those who experience them. They are caused by the brain accelerating within and hitting the interior of the skull, which results in trauma. Too often, people experience concussions after an accident and decide to “shake it off” or not take it seriously. Unfortunately, that can be a serious mistake. Having helped numerous clients in Mississippi recovering from accidents, Barrett Law can help clients through this potentially life altering condition.

Having helped our clients through accidents resulting in concussions, we want to provide the following information as a guide to those who may need our services.

All Concussions are Serious – It may sound obvious, but too many people would treat a broken arm seriously, but not an injury to the brain. That’s likely because the pain from a broken arm is acute and the injury is visible.  Brain injuries are often not obvious, and are always invisible. But even a slight concussion can later pose serious problems. In short, you need to seek medical treatment for a concussion, even if it does not immediately seem to be a significant medical condition.

You Do Not Need to Hit Your Head to Get a Concussion – The obvious way to receive a concussion is by hitting your head.  But a concussion is not necessarily caused by impact to the skull. Again, a concussion is caused by the brain accelerating within the skull and impacting the skull’s interior.  That can result from the sudden impact of an automobile accident. You should never rule out a concussion because you did not “hit your head.” Any time you experience an automobile accident, you may have a concussion.  Only a medical professional can rule that out.

If You Experience a Concussion, You Are More Likely to Experience Another – Unfortunately, you become more susceptible to concussions once you have had one. So if you have been in a sports related trauma, the odds of you having a concussion as a result of an automobile accident are increase.

The More Concussions You Have, the More Dangerous They Are – We are just learning about how concussions affect people in the long term, but as indicted by the recent studies into NFL players experiencing CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, repeated concussions—even minor ones—can have short term side effects of pain, light sensitivity, dizziness, and fatigue, but also have serious long term neurological effects. Sadly, repeated concussions may cause debilitating brain degeneration.

It is a serious mistake to simply assume that you do not need a medical consultation after a car accident. Even if you have not impacted your head, you may be experiencing a concussion.  This is particularly true if you have suffered from a concussion in the past. Making decisions that may affect your long term health and livelihood without expert advice at this moment is a mistake.

If you have been in an accident, you are not in a position to assess the possible long term consequences of the injuries you may have incurred, especially brain or neurological injuries. The Barrett Law Firm is an experienced Mississippi auto accident firm skilled in providing the sort of advice you need if you have experienced a concussion as a result of negligence of other drivers.

Contact the Barrett Law Firm now if you have been in an automobile accident.

Call the Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorney at the Barrett Law Firm at (601) 790-1505 to receive a consultation regarding your accident, regardless of its seriousness.  Too often, a “minor” accident or “fender bender” has unanticipated, long term consequences.  Our experience helping accident victims may mean the difference between healing and long term debilitation.