The financial ramifications of an unexpected car accident can be catastrophic. If you’re like most people, you don’t have resources saved up to counter the expenses associated with extensive medical care, especially when you’re unable to work to help offset your losses. Therefore, your situation probably has you on edge, worried about how you’re going to keep your family afloat and how you’ll further your recovery.
If you’re reading this blog post, you might be considering taking legal action. This could be a great move on your part, but you need to make sure that you’re carefully approaching the process, as even a seemingly minor misstep can lead to lost compensation and an inadequate physical, emotional and psychological recovery.
Mistakes to avoid in your personal injury case
So, if you want to maximize your chances of achieving the outcome that you desire, you need to know how to avoid some of the most common mistakes made in a personal injury case. Let’s look at some of them here:
- Fearing the cost of legal representation: A lot of people forego a legal claim because they think that an attorney is going to be too expensive. But the reality is that most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This means that you don’t pay them unless and until you obtain compensation from your claim. Only then do you pay a certain percentage of your recovery to your attorney. In other words, with a contingency fee arrangement, there’s no risk to you. Trying to resolve your case on your own, on the other hand, can be extraordinarily risky.
- Giving a harmful statement to the insurance company: The insurance company is going to have a lot of questions for you in the aftermath of your accident. Although they may seem helpful, they’re really just trying to get you to say something that they can use to deny or reduce your claim. So, avoid talking to the insurance company until you have an attorney on your side and avoid making any statements to anyone that may be construed as an admission of fault.
- Not following through with treatment recommendations: To recover the full extent of your damages, you’re going to have to prove the harm that you have experienced. That’s hard to do if you don’t seek medical treatment after your accident or you don’t follow your doctor’s recommendations. Remember, you need to generate evidence to support your case, and seeking out needed medical treatment is a key component in that regard.
- Posting on social media: No good can come of posting about your accident on social media. In fact, it can be extremely harmful to your claim. Photos and other posts may give the impression that your injuries aren’t as severe as they actually are, which can jeopardize your case.
- Not being timely: There are timeframes on when you can file your personal injury case. You need to file your claim in that window, otherwise your case might be barred entirely.
Secure help avoiding these pitfalls
There are a lot of missteps that can be made during the personal injury claims process. To avoid them, you might want to have someone on your side who has come face-to-face with them in the past and can help you navigate around them. If you want to learn more about how a legal advocate can assist you in doing just that, please consider reaching out to a legal team that you think is right for you.