Being in an auto accident can be frustrating, overwhelming and downright painful. No one wants to end up dealing with doctors, car insurance adjusters, body repair shops and more for days on end. Unfortunately, dealing with the ramifications of a car accident are very time-consuming. If you aren't sure where to start, there are a few things to keep in mind. The best thing you can do is avoid making one of these costly mistakes in your accident claim.

Avoid giving the insurance company a recorded statement.

One of the first things the insurance company is going to try to do is get you to give them a recorded statement that details the events of the accident in question. Don't ever speak with them unless your attorney is right there beside you. As soon as you give them your statement, they are going to use that statement to minimize the amount of damages you are able to claim. The insurance company is the one who is going to benefit from your statement, not you. With your attorney present, they won't be able to manipulate your statement and ask you questions that are detrimental to your claim.

Don't allow the adjuster to trick you.

Adjusters will come off sounding like they care about you and your claim. They talk to you like they are your best friend. Essentially, they want you to sit back, relax and take your guard down. If you are too relaxed, they can easily get you to admit to something that didn't happen. The best thing you can do is stay on top of things the entire time and keep your guard up.

Avoid giving the adjuster your personal information.

Your social security number should never be given to anyone else. In doing so, the adjuster will be able to access a variety of personal information about you and your history. Even though adjusters shouldn't be doing this, they can go through your credit history and other information that allows them to manipulate you and your claim. Keep your information personal, unless your lawyer tells you to provide someone else with the information.

By not making one of the mistakes above, you can make sure your claim goes through without a problem and you aren't shorted on the amount of money you are supposed to receive. The best thing you can do is have a trained lawyer working on your side through the whole ordeal. For more information, contact a firm such as Burgess & Perigard.