What mistakes ruin a Helena injury claim after a holiday weekend crash?

Q: What mistakes ruin a Helena injury claim after a holiday weekend crash?

Everyone says "just tell the insurer what happened," but actually the fastest way to damage a Montana claim is talking too much too soon. In the next 24 hours: do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer. Do not say "I'm fine," guess about speed, or apologize. In Montana, your payout can be cut by your share of fault under comparative negligence, and if you are found more than 50% at fault, you can recover nothing. Get medical care the same day if possible. Holiday crashes around Helena, especially on I-15, Custer Avenue, and US-12 corridors, often produce delayed neck, head, and tendon injuries. A gap in treatment is one of the easiest excuses adjusters use to say the injury was minor or unrelated. If police did not respond, make sure the crash gets reported. If no officer investigated, Montana generally requires a crash report within 10 days through the Montana Department of Justice. In the next week: preserve evidence before it disappears. Save photos of the vehicles, bruising, airbags, skid marks, and the exact location. Get the Helena Police Department, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office, or Montana Highway Patrol report number. Keep every bill, discharge paper, prescription receipt, and work note. This is also the week to make social media boring. No crash photos with jokes, no "feeling better" posts, no vacation or barbecue pictures from Memorial Day, July 4th, or Labor Day weekend. Insurers use normal-looking posts to argue you were not hurt. In the next month: follow treatment exactly. Missing PT, skipping follow-ups, or stopping because you "toughed it out" can slash claim value. Keep a simple pain and limitation log. Do not repair or junk the vehicle until it is fully documented. Watch deadlines too: most Montana injury claims have a 3-year statute of limitations, but evidence problems start long before that.

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Everyone says &#34;just tell the insurer what happened,&#34; but actually the fastest way to damage a Montana claim is talking too much too soon. In the next 24 hours: do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer. Do not say &#34;I'm fine,&#34; guess about speed, or apologize. In Montana, your payout can be cut by your share of fault under comparative negligence, and if you are found more than 50% at fault, you can recover nothing. Get medical care the same day if possible. Holiday crashes around Helena, especially on I-15, Custer Avenue, and US-12 corridors, often produce delayed neck, head, and tendon injuries. A gap in treatment is one of the easiest excuses adjusters use to say the injury was minor or unrelated. If police did not respond, make sure the crash gets reported. If no officer investigated, Montana generally requires a crash report within 10 days through the Montana Department of Justice. In the next week: preserve evidence before it disappears. Save photos of the vehicles, bruising, airbags, skid marks, and the exact location. Get the Helena Police Department, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office, or Montana Highway Patrol report number. Keep every bill, discharge paper, prescription receipt, and work note. This is also the week to make social media boring. No crash photos with jokes, no &#34;feeling better&#34; posts, no vacation or barbecue pictures from Memorial Day, July 4th, or Labor Day weekend. Insurers use normal-looking posts to argue you were not hurt. In the next month: follow treatment exactly. Missing PT, skipping follow-ups, or stopping because you &#34;toughed it out&#34; can slash claim value. Keep a simple pain and limitation log. Do not repair or junk the vehicle until it is fully documented. Watch deadlines too: most Montana injury claims have a 3-year statute of limitations, but evidence problems start long before that.