Even if you are the most careful person on earth, you may suffer from an accident. Whether it is a work-related accident, a car accident or you slip and fall on someone else’s property – accidents are always unexpected and can happen anywhere. The accident may even be due to your fault. But the situation can be extra distressing when you suffer a personal injury due to someone’s negligence.
If someone else is at fault, you can seek compensation from their insurer for your injuries and expenses. For that, you have to construct your case properly to get your desired compensation.
Below are the mistakes you must avoid while preparing your personal injury case.
Not seeking immediate medical assistance
Getting your rightful compensation is very important, but your health must be your first priority. Thus, whatever may be the accident, seeking medical help immediately after the event is crucial. Some injuries such as a concussion may not seem very severe at first, but can later turn into something serious and may go out of your hand.
Insurance companies are always on the prowl to prove that you are not as injured as you claim to be and suppress your claim. You might be underpaid by them if you do not have enough supporting evidence to suggest that you were gravely injured. Many people do not get their desired compensation from the party that has caused their suffering, due to lack of evidence.
So, your medical records will provide you with enough evidence to support your claim. Keep valid copies of all medical documents signed by licensed healthcare professionals.
Not being honest about the accident
A common mistake people make while filing a claim is to lie about the accident. Suppose, you suffered a slip and fall accident. Then, you might say to the insurance company that you are unable to walk properly due to the accident. But you must know that insurance companies have their own insurance investigators who can go to great lengths to verify your claim.
Therefore, if you have exaggerated about the accident, a video of you walking normally across the street will prove that you lied about your walking problems. This will result in the insurance company to hold back the compensation and even dismiss your claim.
If the police are involved, misinformation or providing distorted information can get you into more trouble.
Therefore, to make your personal injury claim to be successful, you must be honest and provide the details as accurately as possible.
Pretending you are not hurt in front of the public
Yes, it is understandable that falling down on a supermarket floor amidst other shoppers is embarrassing. In those situations, you might just get up and pretend that nothing happened at all! If people ask whether you are alright, you might say that you are fine. You may not tell them how your head hit the floor or a grocery rack. It might be discovered later on after medical examination that it resulted in a serious injury. This can be a threat to your life.
Most importantly, later on, if you file a claim for a slip and fall injury, the store accident report will suggest that nothing severe had occurred earlier. This is because you have not told the truth about your injury during the time of the event, and hence you will face difficulties in claiming compensation.
In the case of traffic accidents, the police officers will take a recorded statement. This statement has to be authentic. If you change your statement later, saying that you suffered an injury that you did not disclose early on, the credibility of your claim decreases.
Not hiring a personal injury lawyer
You must not wait too long to hire a personal injury lawyer. This is because waiting too long to seek legal assistance, you may jeopardize your personal injury case. For example, claims against municipalities have to be filed within 10 days of the accident. After 10 days, you cannot file a claim for compensation.
Claim settlement is a complicated process. If you have suffered an injury, you might go through some emotional and financial troubles. During these critical times, it is best to hand over your case to a personal injury lawyer. He or she will handle your case and make sure you get the compensation you deserve.
Personal injury lawyers have loads of experience in handling personal injury cases for years. They will be well-equipped to handle cases such as slip and fall, car accident, dog bite, or a workplace accident.
Furthermore, personal injury lawyers have handled a variety of cases, so they know the psychological effects of these injuries on people. Understanding the emotional effects of these cases is important for framing the case for compensation. With years of experience, these lawyers can be more sympathetic to their clients.
Sharing details of the accident on social media
You may be an open book on social media, but you do not have to show all your pages! Especially the details of your accident. It is recommended that you do not post sensitive information about your accident on social media. Insurance lawyers may turn your harmless act against you. They might say that if you were feeling well enough to post on social media about your accident, it means that you were not hurt badly in the first place.
This will result in you ending up with a smaller compensation than you deserve.
You must also be careful while sharing details of your accident with people who don’t know well. If they have cruel intentions, they might use some of that information against you. This might hamper your claim settlement process. It will be wise to not share information with anyone other than your loved ones until your claim has been settled.
At Claim Settlement, our network of lawyers we connect you with… have over 20 years of experience in handling personal injury and accident cases and have helped clients recover the maximum compensation in claim settlements. Our initial consultation is absolutely free and you don’t pay your lawyer until you receive the compensation you deserve. If you have suffered an injury or been in an accident call us at 1-833-892-5246 for a free consultation or e-mail us at claim@claimsettlement.ca