Accident Aftermath: Costly Mistakes to Avoid

The critical moments following an accident can make or break your personal injury claim. This eye-opening episode reveals the three devastating mistakes accident victims commonly make that insurance companies eagerly exploit to minimize or deny legitimate claims.

First, we dive into why skipping immediate medical attention is so damaging to your case, even when you "feel fine." We explain how adrenaline masks pain, how injuries often surface days later, and why this delay gives insurance companies the perfect opportunity to claim you weren't seriously hurt. The consequences? Undermined credibility, difficulty proving your injuries, and significantly reduced compensation.

Next, we expose the dangers of talking to insurance adjusters without legal representation. Those seemingly helpful conversations are carefully designed traps. Insurance representatives undergo specialized training to extract statements that damage your claim – from recorded admissions that can be taken out of context to casual comments that inadvertently downplay your injuries. We reveal exactly how these innocent conversations translate to denied claims and lowered settlements.

Finally, we address the modern pitfall of social media oversharing after an accident. That well-intentioned update to let friends know you're okay? It becomes powerful ammunition for insurance companies searching for contradiction. Learn how photos, status updates, and check-ins – even completely innocent ones – can be twisted to suggest you're exaggerating injuries or recovering faster than claimed.

Don't let these mistakes cost you the compensation you deserve. We provide four specific, actionable steps to protect your case: seeking immediate medical care regardless of how you feel, declining insurance company conversations until you've consulted a lawyer, staying off social media entirely, and contacting an experienced personal injury attorney right away. Call Buttafuoco and Associates at 1-800-NOW-HURT for a free consultation and get the guidance you need to navigate this challenging time.

Learn more about the Personal Injury Lawyers at Buttafuoco & Associates: www.1800NowHurt.com

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
the three biggest mistakes people make when
they're in an accident and whatit could cost them.
Welcome back to Ask your InjuryLawyers, brought to you by
Buttafuoco and Associates,hosted by Rob Taramina, and
today we're going to uncover thethree most common mistakes
people make once they're in thataccident and how it could ruin
their case.
So if you've recently been inan accident or someone you love

(00:22):
has been in an accident, thisparticular episode could save
their case.
Now, why does this episodematter so much to so many people
?
Well, at Butterfield Associatesthey see so many clients that
would have had such a strongercase had they not fell victim to
one of these mistakes.
Now, these mistakes areemotional, they're relatable,

(00:43):
but they're totally avoidablewith the right guidance.
Mistake number one is not goingto the hospital right away, and
they say things like I thought Iwas fine, adrenaline masks,
pain Injuries will often happenor surface hours or even days
later.
So if you delay treatment, theinsurance company will say you

(01:05):
weren't really hurt, thus ithurting your case.
Now, what it costs you?
It undermines your credibility.
It makes it harder to proveyour injuries.
It also reduces yourcompensation.
Mistake number two is talkingto the insurance companies
without talking to a lawyerfirst, people say they seem so
helpful.
Talking to a lawyer first,people say they seem so helpful.

(01:29):
Insurance adjusters areliterally trained to get you to
say things that hurt your claim.
Recorded statements downplayinginjuries, admitting fault even
just casually, can be usedagainst you.
Now what it costs you.
It could lower your settlements, denied claims, it could
permanently damage your case.
Mistake number three is postingabout your accident and injuries

(01:50):
on social media.
People will often say I justwanted to let people know that I
was okay and it's sort ofunderstandable.
However, photos, status updatesor even check-ins can be taken
out of context.
Insurance companies will searchyour post to find anything that
can contradict your claim.
Now what it can cost you.
Here they're gonna argue thatyou weren't hurt or that you

(02:12):
were exaggerating.
Now what should you do instead?
Instead, do these four things.
Number one go to the ER or adoctor as soon as possible, even
if you feel okay.
Two politely decline to speakwith insurance adjusters until
you've spoken to a lawyer.
Three stay off social mediauntil your case is resolved.

(02:36):
Resist the temptation to post.
Four call a trusted personalinjury lawyer immediately If you
or someone you know have beenin an accident.
It's so important to encouragethem to get treatment from a
doctor and to call theexperienced personal injury
lawyers of Buttafuqua Associates.
They're here to help.

(02:56):
It's a free consultation.
It will not hurt you at all.
In fact, the guidance will beso valuable to what you or your
loved one is going through.
So call them today at1-800-NOW-HURT, or you can learn
more information online byvisiting 1-800-NOW-HURTcom.
They're here to help accidentvictims rebuild their lives, and
it starts with the guidance.

(03:17):
It starts with talking withsomeone who understands the
entire process and can hold yourhand so you feel comfortable
and confident going through eachsteps.
Again, if you or a loved onehave been in an accident, go
ahead, call the personal injurylawyers at Buttafuoco and
Associates.
Thanks for tuning in this weekto Ask your Injury Lawyers.
We want to encourage you guysto help us grow this community,

(03:39):
because we believe that the moreeducation we can put out there,
the better people will be ableto live their lives and,
honestly, they'll be able toavoid the common pitfalls that
we discussed today.
So share it with a familymember, like, comment and
subscribe.
That helps us out, but it helpsthe people in your community as
well.
We'll see you next time on Askyour Injury Lawyers.