Despite the millions of accidents every year, most people are involved in one once or twice in their life. As a result, there's a lot of misinformation about car accidents that can be easy to believe. Here's a look at three of the biggest myths when it comes to auto accidents, and the real truth behind them.

Myth #1: If you didn't get medical treatment at the time, you can't get compensation later

If you do any bit of research about car accidents, you'll often find the advice to go to the hospital to get checked out no matter what. And while that might be sound medical advice because injuries can take a while to actually hurt, don't think you can't seek compensation for injuries later down the road if you didn't get medical treatment at the time. Injuries sometimes take months to show, and if you truly have pain, you can still get justice even then — especially if you enlist the help of an attorney.

Myth #2: The other driver's insurance company needs to know your side of the story There's a good chance you'll get a call from the other driver's insurance company if you've been in an accident, and it makes sense to give them your version of the events, right? Absolutely not. It's important to remember that insurance companies really don't work with your best interests in mind. Their goal is to lock you into a small settlement, and they'll use anything you say to try to do that. Inform your insurance company that you've been in an accident, when and where it occurred, but that's it.

Myth #3: You can't get compensation if the accident is partly your fault This does vary from state to state, but plenty of states have "patrial fault" when it comes to accidents. And if you're partly to blame, that means the other person is partly to blame as well, and you can seek compensation because of that. In the majority of instances, you won't get anything if the accident was more than 50% your fault, but as long as the other driver has the majority of fault, you can still win damages. 

If you've been in a car accident, your best course of action by far is going to be to get the help of an auto accident attorney. They've dealt with situations just like yours thousands of times, and they know exactly how to make the law work for you. Don't try to handle this alone!

For more information, contact a car accident attorney.