Lewis and Tompkins is an injury law firm that helps accident victims in D.C, Maryland and Virginia. We have years of experience and have helped many D.C. car accident victims get their lives back on track. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Lewis and Tompkins for a free legal consultation today.

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Car Accidents

Doing The Right Thing After The Accident

Cell Phone Bans are Unenforced and Ineffective

Driver Safety is Important for Teens

Billion Dollar Corporation Learns Tough Lesson About Distracted Driving

"Optional" Car Safety

Uninsured Car Accident Claims

Hit By an Uninsured Driver? You Have More Options Than You Think

Insurance Coverage You Need

Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents

How Pedestrian Accidents Occur

How Most Bicycle Accidents are Caused

Remember the Rules for Pedestrians

WMATA: Who's Driving the Bus?

Motorcycle Accidents

Be Safe and Share the Road With Motorcyclists

Truck Accidents

Sick Truckers Forge Bogus Health Certificates to Stay on the Road

The Common Causes of Truck Accidents (Part One)

Common Causes of Truck Accidents (Part Two)

Trucks are Built for Freight, Not Safety

Insurance Practices, Claims and Coverage Issues

Bigfoot, Flat Earth and Insurance: Eight Popular Insurance Coverage Myths

Customers are Being Overcharged by Insurance

Bad Faith Laid Bare: Allstate Fights to Keep Documents Secret

Will California Become The New Gulf Coast?

Groundbreaking New Law in The Pacific Northwest

Defective Products & Consumer Protection

Big Pharma Gets New Federal Testing Guidelines

RC2: Recall the Right Way

Cheap Foreign Goods May Have Hidden Costs

OxyContin: Pharmaceutical Company Addicts Thousands for Profit

The FDA: Is There a Doctor In The House?

Medical Malpractice

Errors in Surgery

Medical Errors That Should Never Happen

Hospitals and HMO's are Charging for Medical Errors

The Fallacy of "Between You and Your Doctor"

Blood Thinner Overdose Nearly Kills Quaid Twins

Wrongful Death

Secondary Impacts in Sports Can Kill

Plane Crashes, Injuries and Deaths

TWA Flight 800: Ten Years and Nothing has Changed

Personal Injury Documents

Why You Should Choose Lewis & Tompkins to Represent You

Attorney Resources

New Continuance Policy for Prince George's County District Court

Civil Rules of Civil Procedure - D.C. Superior Court

Litigation Forms

D.C. Casefilexpress Filing Instructions

Preparing for a Deposition

D.C. Superior Court Multidoor Dispute Resolution Forms and Instructions

Pattern Discovery

Judge Wetzel's Discovery Checklist for Virginia Trial Attorneys

General

What Will Lewis and Tompkins Do For You? (Part 2 of 2)

What Will Lewis and Tompkins Do For You? (Part 1 of 2)

What Happens During a Lawsuit?

Crane Collapses are a new epidemic

Cars Can Do Everything But Drive Themselves

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Doing The Right Thing After The Accident

Lewis and Tompkins is an injury law firm that helps accident victims in D.C, Maryland and Virginia. We have years of experience and have helped many D.C. car accident victims get their lives back on track. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, contact Lewis and Tompkins for a free legal consultation today.

Gathering your wits and taking action (if you are able) after an accident can be the difference between receiving fair compensation for your damages and getting far less than you should.

There are steps that you can take that will help you avoid being taken advantage of by the insurance companies that are involved.

Call 911: Report the accident immediately, even if there is no obvious medical trauma. The reason for this is that the police can interview witnesses and do a basic investigation, which should include an accident reconstruction. This can be very helpful to you if the accident wasn’t your fault.

Record the Scene as Best as You Can: Get the names or license plate numbers of witnesses if you are able. Most cell phones have cameras built in. Use yours to record the scene of the accident.

Don’t Assume that You are “Fine”: Wait for the paramedics to examine you at the scene. Nothing could be more problematic in dealing with an insurance company than driving home and waking up the next day in pain.

Go to the doctor immediately: Again, delaying medical treatment is absolutely the worst thing that you can do. This gives the insurance company the chance to say that you suffered the “real injury” in the period of time that it took you to get to the hospital, or that you made a minor injury from the accident worse by not taking care of it. They can argue that because of this, they don’t have to pay for it.

Be Completely Honest: Don’t try to be tough and say it was nothing if you are in pain. Don’t try to make mountains out of molehills if it doesn’t seem so bad. Both of these actions can hurt you in court. Be nothing but honest.

Call Your Insurance Company: Even if the accident wasn’t your fault, you should tell your insurance company about the accident. Provide them with any information that you have, from the name of the other driver to the names of the witnesses to the names of the police officers that processed the accident.

Sign Nothing: If the accident was clearly the other driver’s fault, there is a good chance the insurance company will send some representatives around with a cash offer and some forms to sign. Don’t sign it. The amount that they are offering you is not only worth less than what you should be getting, but the forms that they want you to sign will absolve them from any future liability. So if your medical condition suddenly gets worse, it officially isn’t their problem anymore if you have signed those documents.

Lay Low Until You Have Consulted an Attorney: Don’t return insurance company phone calls. Don’t sign forms. Don’t accept offers to take you out to lunch. Any calls or e-mails should go to your attorney. If you don’t have an injury attorney, start working on finding one.

Follow Up With an Experienced Doctor: Find a doctor who has experience in accident injuries. Go over your treatment and any symptoms you might have, and again, be honest. Don’t exaggerate or minimize.

Take Some Time to Find the Best Lawyer: Your cousin who is a divorce lawyer won’t be good for your case. Find an injury attorney with experience.

Keep Track of Everything: Doctor’s appointments, e-mails, phone calls, notes about your medical condition and progress since the accidents. All of this information can be used to prove your case.

These actions might seem overbearing, but believe us when we tell you that the insurance companies are looking for any excuse to either not pay you anything or to pay you as little as possible. Following these rules will keep them finding a reason.

If you or a loved one has been in an accident, contact Lewis and Tompkins today.

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Lewis & Tompkins
927 15th Street N.W., 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Phone: 202-296-0666

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