Have you recently been hurt in a San Diego car crash? If so, it’s important that you take steps beyond reporting the accident to your insurance company. You need to ensure that you have someone working on your behalf to assist with recovery of any personal injury funds.

After a San Diego crash, you may be concerned about moving forward with your life. The medical bills are piling up, collectors may be calling you, and you’re also dealing with the emotional and physical ramifications of being hurt in a serious accident. It’s easy to assume that you can only handle one thing at a time, but overlooking the need to file a personal injury claim could turn out to be a big mistake after a San Diego crash.

A common question asked by victims after a San Diego crash is “How long should I wait to file a personal injury claim?” Filing too soon might mean that you have not given the insurance company enough time to review the claim and make a determination, but waiting too long could delay your benefits or make it more difficult to receive them.

One of the biggest reasons why you need to let some time pass is so that you can better understand the scope of your injuries. You might not know the severity of your San Diego crash until you have had an opportunity to get some of the initial treatments and talk about a long-term plan with your doctor.

With more serious injuries, like a TBI, your doctors may not even be able to tell you more about your injuries until much later. A doctor might recommend that you give it several months in order to see how well you improve. For an accident victim taking so much time off work and watching the bills roll in from doctors, however, this can add extra stress.

You can file your claim at any time, but you should never take a settlement offer from anyone seriously until you have reached “maximum medical improvement.” This phrase simply means that your doctor believes you are at the stage at which you are unlikely to gain much more from treatments. This is not the same thing as fully recovered for some people. It might simply mean that you are in the best position to negotiate settlement at this time since you’ll have a better picture of what your injuries look like.