Common Mistakes to Avoid After an Accident Flashcards
6 cards from real Accident Lawyer Tips practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Common Mistakes to Avoid After an Accident flashcards as text
What is the risk of exaggerating injuries in an accident claim?
Answer: Exaggeration constitutes insurance fraud, a crime that can result in prosecution and claim denial
Insurance fraud is a serious criminal offense that can result in denial of your legitimate claim, civil liability, and criminal prosecution.
Why is it a mistake to sign a medical records release to the opposing insurer without legal review?
Answer: A broad release could give the insurer access to unrelated pre-existing conditions used to minimize your claim
Overly broad medical releases allow insurers to access your entire medical history looking for pre-existing conditions to use against you.
What is the mistake of not reporting the accident to your own insurance company?
Answer: You may violate your policy's cooperation clause, jeopardizing coverage
Most policies require prompt notification of accidents, and failure to report can be grounds for denying coverage under the cooperation clause.
Why is it dangerous to trust verbal promises from the other driver or their insurer?
Answer: Verbal promises have no legal enforceability and are routinely broken
Verbal commitments are unenforceable and easily denied; only written settlement agreements create binding legal obligations.
What is the mistake of not following your doctor's treatment plan after an accident?
Answer: It can be used to argue that your injuries were not serious and reduces your recoverable damages
Non-compliance with prescribed treatment undermines your claimed injury severity and triggers the duty-to-mitigate defense against full recovery.
Why is moving vehicles at the accident scene before documenting the scene a mistake?
Answer: It destroys critical evidence about impact angles, speeds, and fault
Vehicle positions at the scene are critical evidence that helps reconstruct how the accident occurred; moving them destroys this information.