What can people do to increase their chances of prevailing in an auto accident lawsuit in Colorado? That’s the question we posed to Jim Chalat, a Colorado attorney with over 30 years of experience whose firm focuses its practice in personal injury law. Here’s what he told us:

• Call an ambulance. If you’re in a bad accident and you think that you’re hurt, my recommendation would be to take an ambulance. If you’re really hurt and you don’t initiate your care properly and promptly, then that’s going to be a strike against you in the court room. Now that doesn’t mean you should hop in an ambulance when you get rear-ended in the parking lot and have a little fender-bender if you’re not hurt. However, if you are hurt, see a doctor as soon as possible.
• Take photographs. Taking photographs with your cell-phone can also be helpful. I’ve had a number of recent cases where insurance lawyers have clients who lose the photographs taken by risk-managers and others until it’s disclosed that the plaintiff took some shots with their cell-phone clearly showing the negligence of the defendant.
• Don’t tamper with evidence. It’s important to never tamper with evidence, never lie, never exaggerate and never phony anything up. If you were wearing your seatbelt, it’s important to remember that because failure to wear a seatbelt in a car accident in Colorado can actually work to diminish your damages.
• Seek counsel. [I]f there are serious or catastrophic injuries involved, you should call an experienced, reputable Colorado law firm. Actually, I think it would probably be a smart thing to call several people to get different points of view. Not every lawyer is the right person for every case. People need to be able to inter-relate with the lawyer. Some lawyers are highly technologically skilled and like to do business by e-mail, voice-mail and text-messaging. Other lawyers, who are experienced and reputable, are still paper and telephone lawyers. You have to find someone with whom you’re comfortable.

In addition to those, Chalat told us that if you don’t have e-mail, then it’s best to make sure that you can communicate with your lawyer on a regular basis in a manner which you like. Finally, he says that it’s important for everyone to know that soliciting in Colorado is prohibited, so if someone knocks on your hospital door, comes in and says, “I hear you need a lawyer, let me introduce myself,” you should immediately be suspect.

If you’ve been injured in an automobile accident, contact an experienced Colorado car accident attorney to discuss your situation and evaluate your options. Consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential.