Release of all claims after an accident
On the common questions asked of a personal injury attorney is, “What if I have lingering injuries from an accident I didn’t originally know I had?”
The answer to this greatly depends on your actions immediately after your accident or injury. The days after an accident can be hectic and confusing, especially if you are dealing with topics you’ve never studied like your rights as a victim, and insurance companies may rush you into a decision you are not ready for.
Insurance company adjustors will probably contact you with a settlement offer fairly quickly and ask you to sign a “Release of all claims” form. Signing this form basically means that you agree with the adjustors offer and are willing to sign away your right to further civil action regarding the case. There are times that this is a fine course of action, but there are many others when the insurance company does not properly asses the damage or your lingering pains require serious medical attention after signing the form.
Consider a person injured in a rear-end collision. Whiplash injuries are very common in these situations and the symptoms may linger for a very long time and require numerous expensive treatments. If that person just assumes the pain will go away naturally and signs the release forms, he will have no recourse a week later when his pain has worsened and is keeping him from working.
My advice would be to tell the insurance company to wait until you are absolutely sure the extent of your injuries is known. See a doctor and if the injury appears more serious than initially thought, contact a personal injury lawyer for advice.
