During the holiday months, 1 in 3 Americans will travel during the holiday season. Before loading up your vehicle, read these 5 tips to avoid making mistakes in your car wreck case!

1. Omit or Delay Medical Treatment – if you do not go to the doctor at all, or wait too long to receive medical treatment, the adjuster will assume you were not hurt.

2. Lie or Malinger – lying or exaggerating your injury can kill your case before it even gets started. If you have no credibility, you have no case!

3. Miss a Deadline – Every case has a deadline that you must meet when filing a lawsuit. If you miss the deadline, the insurance company will not pay you.

4. Failure to Purchase Uninsured Motorist Insurance – Most people are shocked to learn that their “full-coverage” insurance does not protect them or their passengers if you are hit by an uninsured driver. It is extremely beneficial to specifically purchase “Uninsured Motorist” as well as “Personal Injury Protection” insurance.

5. Fail to Negotiate Medical Bills – Before you sign settlement papers, you should negotiate prices with the doctors and hospitals about your outstanding medical bills. It could save you thousands of dollars!

Honorable mention: Insurance companies are not your friends! They are “for-profit” organizations that will do anything they can to reduce or eliminate your claim. Taking a recorded statement, for example, is one of their favorite tactics. Bottom line: Be very careful when dealing with an insurance company no matter how nice they might sound over the phone.