If you’ve been injured in an accident, whether it’s from a car crash, on the job, or otherwise due to another’s negligence, it can turn your life upside down.
The injuries can keep you out of work temporarily or permanently, stop you from enjoying everyday activities that you once loved, cost a fortune in medical bills, or even disable you for the rest of your life.
You deserve to recover your losses, which is the whole point of making a personal injury claim. Common mistakes can destroy your chances of getting any reimbursement, let alone recovering all of your losses.
The insurance companies and their lawyers are going to take advantage of any mistakes you make to pay you as little as possible, which is why it’s important to have an experienced personal injury attorney on your side. Don’t sabotage yourself by making these common mistakes.
Not Taking Immediate Action
Depending on how serious your personal injury is, it may not be possible for you to take action right away, but you have to start looking out for your rights as soon as possible.
Always take pictures and gather relevant information such as names and numbers of witnesses at the scene of the accident. Write down your account of what happened because, over time, important details may slip your mind. Don’t show your notes to anyone but your attorney!
You should also keep a detailed record of all your expenses resulting from the accident. Saving receipts from payments you make is a helpful way to do so accurately. In totality, the documentation should include damage to your car and personal property, medical costs, lost wages- even if you use vacation time or sick leave while you are off work, and other related expenses or losses.
Not Hiring an Attorney
You may think that the insurance adjuster will give you a fair amount for your injury, or maybe you aren’t the suing type (whatever that means!) Keep in mind that an insurance company is looking out for their shareholders, not you, which means that their only goal is to maintain high profits. A “friendly” claims adjuster is following a script designed to keep you from getting the money you deserve.
If you try to represent yourself, the insurance company will do everything they can to delay your claim and flip the script. The two main insurance company tactics- delay and deny- make it more likely that you will make a mistake and lose your claim. Many injury victims are denied benefits by the insurance company and drop their case. The longer that you wait to pursue your claim, the better the chance that you will die, or get hurt again and minimize the insurance company’s pay out. If this happens 1 or 2 percent of the time, spread over thousands of claims, the insurance company saves millions of dollars!
There is never enough money for an injury case, and no one is ever glad they got hurt after a personal injury claim. Every case is different, so there is no guarantee that your case will receive a specific amount for an injury but hiring a personal injury attorney will get you more than the insurance company is offering—two to five times more according to their own industry studies.
Falsifying Injuries or Symptoms
You should never exaggerate your symptoms, even slightly, in an attempt to receive more compensation. If caught dramatizing events, it can compromise your case – no lawyer can fix a lie. Let your attorney handle negotiations. A professional knows how to get you full and fair compensation that will cover all your losses without stretching the truth.
Exaggerating in the opposite direction is harmful to you too. Many injury victims settle their claims prematurely, before they even know the extent of their injuries or before they have finished treatment. Some injury victims even downplay or ignore minor injuries because they don’t want to seem like a complainer. This is a massive mistake, because if you accept a low settlement and develop more serious complications later, you could be stuck with uncompensated expenses.
Social Media
Do not discuss your case with others on any social media platform. While you are trying to recover the damages from your injuries, the insurance company is looking for ways to discredit you or pay you less. They will use whatever they can against you, including your own social media posts. Something as simple as a smiling selfie can be turned against you to discredit your claims.
Call The S.E. Farris Law Firm
The S.E. Farris Law Firm has more than 30 years of experience dealing with personal injury cases and insurance companies. We will properly handle your case and negotiate with insurance adjusters on your behalf.
We prepare every case for trial in case the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement. Because we are ready for trial, the insurance company is less likely to play games with us.
To reach us, call us at 314-252-9937 or send us a message to arrange a free consultation.