If you suffer a personal injury after an accident, one of the first things you must do is hire the right lawyer, specializing in that area of the law.
Filing a personal injury case can be a complex and stressful process. But it’s a process you’ll need to pursue if you want compensation after a car accident, workplace incident, dog bite, or slip and fall leaves you banged up. It can be difficult to pick up the pieces after an injury, and that’s one reason to find a lawyer with a good track record helping people in your shoes.
While hiring a reputable and experienced personal injury lawyer can help your cause, here are three critical mistakes or missteps you must avoid if you want a good outcome.
- Failing to Seek Medical Attention Right Away
One mistake to avoid is waiting too long to seek medical attention. You must see a doctor and any other medical professionals they recommend soon after the accident. Even if you don’t feel worse for the wear, so to speak, you should make an appointment to see your doctor. Some injuries don’t manifest symptoms until later, so get checked out regardless of how you feel after the accident. Your injuries could worsen over time if not treated immediately and make a bad matter even worse.
Another reason to see your doctor sooner rather than later is that the insurance company could, if you don’t seek prompt medical attention, cast doubts about the extent of the problem or when the problem occurred. The last thing you need is for the insurance company to suggest that some other incident might have caused your injury.
You can safeguard against this by getting checked out immediately so there’s documented proof that helps to support your personal injury claim.
- Opting Not to Report the Incident Immediately
Yet another mistake to avoid is failing to report the incident right away. Waiting too long to report the mishap could threaten the viability of your personal injury claim. You must notify the police, for instance, if you get into a car collision. It’s also essential to notify your employer if you get hurt at work or the property manager if you slip and fall on their property.
Waiting too long to report the incident might be all the insurance company needs to question whether your injury is as severe as you claim.
- Failing to Properly Gather Evidence
Failing to document evidence is another misstep to avoid if you don’t want to ruin your chase for a successful outcome. You must provide sufficient evidence to prove liability and the extent of the injuries.
Get the police report, collect medical records, take pictures of injuries and the accident scene, collect the names of witnesses, and get any other evidence to support your case. Doing this will make it easier for your lawyer to achieve the outcome you’re seeking.
- Talking to the Insurer Without a Lawyer
Another way to make matters worse is to get into discussions with the insurance company without legal representation. It might seem like a small matter, but it isn’t. Skilled insurance company representatives will try to sell you on lowball offers. There’s also the possibility that you could say something that jeopardizes your personal injury claim.
It’s best to leave discussions with the insurance company to your personal injury lawyer.
Filing a personal injury claim is a must if you’re injured in an accident. But you’ll want to avoid these common mistakes to bolster your case and increase your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve. Hiring a good lawyer will help you steer clear of danger.
