When you get into a car accident, the last thing you’ll be thinking about is a lawsuit. You’re going to be worried about whether you’re hurt. You’ll wonder how you’re going to get to work without a car. You’ll even worry that you may get a ticket when the police arrive on the scene. But you should avoid these common mistakes you can make that will jeopardize your car accident claim.

Once things settle down, however, you’ll need to gather yourself and take the steps to protect your accident claim. There are some common mistakes that people make that end up costing them their lawsuit.

Sadly, most of these mistakes happen long before you hire a car accident lawyer in Greenville. By the time you meet with them, some of the damage may already be done. They’ll do their best to fix these mistakes and get you as much compensation as possible.

Here are 5 of the most common mistakes car accident victims make in the minutes and hours following their South Carolina car accident.

You Don’t Call the Cops

No matter how minor your car accident, you have to call the police. They’ll come out to the scene and do a thorough investigation. They’ll check to see if either of the drivers are drunk or under the influence of drugs. They’ll also get the license and insurance information from both drivers. Once they’re done, they’ll fill out a police report. Your Greenville car accident lawyer will need this report to prove your case.

You Leave the Scene of the Crash

Some people panic after a car accident. Even if the accident wasn’t their fault, they take off. Maybe they have active warrants and are afraid they’ll be arrested. Or maybe they let their car insurance lapse and don’t want to get in trouble. No matter what the reason, it’s never a good idea to leave the scene. Not only will it come back to haunt you, but you’ll also be criminally charged for leaving the scene of an accident.

You Don’t Go to the Hospital

One of the first things you’ll check after the accident is that everyone’s okay. That’s the right thing to do. However, you can’t be the judge of whether or not you’re hurt. You need to go to the hospital. The doctors there will perform the necessary tests to determine the extent of your injuries. Some of these tests include:

• MRIs
• CT scans
• X-Rays
• Neurological Examination
• Physical Examination

Your Greenville car accident lawyer is going to need your medical records to prove that you were hurt. Without this, they can’t get you the compensation you deserve.

You Admit Fault

A lot of people hate confrontation. So, when they get into an accident, the last thing they want to do is blame the other driver. Instead, they tell the other driver that the accident may have been their fault. This is a big mistake. If you do this, the other driver’s attorney will use it against you. So will their insurance company. They will argue that you admitted you were at fault. If this happens, your attorney will have to work even harder to prove that you’re entitled to damages.

You Post About the Accident on Facebook

One of the biggest mistakes people do after a crash is post about it on social media. This can destroy your case. Every comment and picture you post is visible to the entire world. Even if you try to delete your comment later, there is a good chance that the other driver already saw it. They can make a screen print of your posts and comments and give them to their attorney. If any of these comments make it look as if the crash was your fault, it can hurt your case.

Contact an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer in Greenville

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you may need to call an experienced car accident lawyer in Greenville, South Carolina at Brumback & Langley. Your attorney can make sure your accident claim is handled properly from the start. They can fight to get you the compensation you deserve.

Call today and schedule your free initial consultation with a skilled accident attorney. They can sit down with you and review your case. They can let you know if you have a valid claim. And, if you do, they can give you an idea of what it may be worth. The consultation is free and you pay nothing until you settle your case.