The 5 Fastest Ways to Lose a Personal Injury Case
After an unanticipated car wreck, you may be able to obtain compensation from whoever caused your injury. Insurance claims and lawsuits can be complicated and can take up a lot of valuable time. You might decide that you want to enlist the help of a personal injury lawyer. A number of car accident injury victims do not have a clear understanding of what it takes it prevail in a personal injury case and how the personal injury claims process works. Unfortunately, a failure to understand how the process works and how to deal with insurance companies and adjusters can lead to unfavorable results. To successfully present a worthwhile claim after an accident, a plaintiff must possess more than just their version of the accident along with some medical records, a victim needs to be able to point to the facts and/or circumstances that make the defendant legally responsible for their personal injury. It is incumbent on a plaintiff who wants to have a successful claim to follow certain steps after sustaining a personal injury. Here are 5 of the most common mistakes that can cause you to lose your personal injury case and how to avoid them.
Discussing Your Claim with an Insurance Company Without a Lawyer: Insurance companies exist simply to create profits for its shareholders and that is the main priority for insurance executives. Each claim paid out eats into the company’s profitability. Insurers have an incentive to settle for the lowest acceptable amount or explore loopholes, allowing them to deny the claim in its entirety. So, talking to the insurance company before engaging your attorney can only be detrimental to your claim. They may record your conversation, compel you into admitting fault or get you to accept an unfavorable settlement. An attorney can help you evade these traps, so your case realizes its maximum potential.
Lack of Evidence to Back Up Your Claim: One of the things that can hurt your personal injury case the most, is not having enough evidence to back up your claims. If you fail to document all the circumstances and evidence that are available in the aftermath of your car accident, this can either hurt your claim or cause it to fail apart altogether. The good news is that you likely own a smart phone and you can use this to document your accident. For example, you can document any property damage to your vehicle and any injuries that were sustained. Today, most smart phones are basically minicomputers and will allow you to do many of the things you were once not able to do without one after a car accident.
Failure to Obtain Medical Care: A lot of injury victims fail to get adequate medical care after an accident. This is a mistake because delaying or foregoing altogether any medical treatment can often hurt your claim or make it seem as if you’re not as injured as you claim you are. Also, your injury can get much worse if you fail to get medical care and your recovery should be a main priority. The longer you wait before seeing a doctor, the harder it will be to prove that your injuries were caused by your accident or incident. The insurance company may argue that the injuries were either caused or worsened by something else and will offer lower compensation than you deserve.
Discussing your Case on Social Media: Social media is a very important tool because it allows us to all communicate and share information and updates with friends and family. Unfortunately, social media can be detrimental to your personal injury claim. What you decide to post online can be used against you. This is especially true if the defendant or the insurance company is looking to weaken your claim or downplay the seriousness of your injury. An injury can change your life permanently and make it difficult to function as effectively as you once did before. Don’t risk the validity of your claim with these regrettable mistakes.
Incomplete Medical Records: When you sustain an injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, the negligent party is responsible for your damages. However, in order to obtain compensation, you will need to provide documentation that details the losses and explains why you are entitled to a certain amount of money. If you do not include accurate records of medical bills, lost income and wage loss information, the odds of obtaining compensation that will truly cover your loss is unlikely. Get yourself organized and make sure you know what expenses have been incurred as a result of your accident and subsequent injury.
Speak with a Car Accident Attorney Today!
At Suarez and Montero, our policy is that if you don’t recover compensation, you won’t pay any fees for our services. Not to mention, we also provide free case consultations where we assess the circumstances surrounding your case and give you an objective overview of what steps you can take going forward if you decide to act against the at-fault party. For over 19 years, we have delivered quality legal representation for people who, through no fault of their own, have been injured in all types of motor vehicle accidents. We are available 24/7 to give you a free, no risk case consultation.
We serve clients throughout Florida including those in the following areas:
Miami-Dade: Aventura, Coral Gables, Doral, Fontainebleau, Hialeah, Homestead, Kendall, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Lakes, North Miami, Tamiami, and Westchester.
Broward: Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, and Weston; and Palm Beach County including Boca Raton, Lake Worth, and West Palm Beach.
