What can happen if you don’t call an attorney right away?
If you don’t call an attorney immediately after a car accident in Virginia and before you give your statement to the insurance company, you risk saying something in your statement that the insurance company can use against you. For example, since Virginia is what is called a “contributory negligence state,” you are not entitled to any compensation if you are found partially at fault for an accident.
By not calling an attorney, you also miss out on the chance to get useful advice from someone who is experienced with accidents.
If you or someone you love has been injured, be sure to contact Richmond car accident attorney Wayne O’Bryan at (800) 222-4189.
Transcription
“If you got any kind of injury at all, you should call an attorney. You will get more money and they can offer advice. People are not in accidents very often. They don’t know what they’re doing. I mean, it’s not surprising, it’s not a fault of the client, it’s just that it’s like a once in a lifetime thing. You’re in an accident, so you don’t necessarily know what you should do. Some people will wait months before they get any treatment, which is just not okay. I mean, the insurance companies are not going to pay you anything if you wait three or four months before you go to the doctor. They’ll give a recorded statement to the insurance company and say some things that might screw up their claim.
In Virginia, it’s a contributory negligence state so if you’re at fault, at all, for the accident, you’re not entitled to any compensation. I believe there’s only three states in America that have that law. It makes it difficult sometimes because we’ll often have the case where the insurance company says, “You did this wrong, so we’re not going to pay anything.” It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not going to get anything, but it makes it more difficult. It means you have to go to court for it and then it becomes the matter of all those considerations.”