7 Risks To Avoid When Claiming A Personal Injury Compensation

When you decide to pursue personal injury compensation, the case will likely involve many complexities. These will include proving the extent of your injuries and other damages, having sufficient evidence to show you deserve compensation, and many other aspects. However, in their haste to complete their lawsuit as quickly as possible and gain the compensation they are seeking, many victims make critical mistakes along the way, often against the advice of their attorney. If you are currently claiming personal injury compensation, here are seven risks you should always avoid.

Failing to Get Medical Treatment

If you have been involved in a car accident, slip and fall accident, or other situation that resulted in serious injuries, never delay seeking immediate medical treatment. Not only will this put your health at risk, but it also provides an opening to insurance companies to claim your injuries were not serious or in fact did not happen due to your accident.

Admitting Fault for the Accident

If you want to send your personal injury case to defeat, say something to police or others that sounds as if you are admitting fault for the accident. Strange as it may sound, saying something as innocent as "I'm sorry" can find its way into a police report and be used by the defendant's lawyer and insurance company to claim you have admitted the accident was your fault.

Negotiating with Insurance Companies

When involved in a personal injury case, never risk trying to negotiate with insurance companies yourself. If you do, you will make crucial mistakes. Very often, accident victims will be coerced into saying something that sounds as though they are admitting fault for the accident. In other cases, victims may accept a quick settlement from the company, only to realize later on the amount of compensation received will not begin to pay for medical bills, replace lost income, and be sufficient for their pain and suffering. Therefore, rather than take this risk, always allow your personal injury lawyer to act on your behalf in these situations.

Posting on Social Media

While you may think it will be fine to go on social media sites and post comments and photos about your accident, it is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in these matters. Should you post angry comments or photos that appear to show you are not seriously injured, they will be used against you. Whenever a personal injury lawsuit is being pursued, chances are your social media accounts are being monitored by the defendant, their attorney and insurance company, and maybe even private investigators.

Hiring an Inexperienced Attorney

If you have been seriously injured in an accident, never put your trust in an attorney who has little if any experience handling such cases. If you do, there is a good chance you will lose your case. Since these cases involve closely examining large amounts of evidence, interviewing witnesses, and much more, always make sure you have hired an attorney who specializes in personal injury cases specific to your type of accident.

Failing to Gather Evidence

When making a claim for personal injury compensation, never assume the court or insurance company will simply take your word for everything. To make sure you give yourself the best chance of winning your case, always gather as much evidence as possible to support your claims. For example, if you are involved in a car accident, use your smart-phone to take numerous photos of the accident scene, which should include damage to vehicles, injuries you sustained, and skid marks or speed limit signs that could indicate reckless driving played a factor in the accident.

Procrastination

If you are involved in any type of accident that leads to serious injuries, procrastination may be one of your worst enemies. This can impact your case in numerous ways, including delays in seeking medical treatment, filing paperwork by certain deadlines, and much more. In any type of personal injury case, the longer you wait to act after the accident, the greater the likelihood you will fail to gain compensation for your damages. Therefore, rather than risk losing compensation you need and deserve, always contact a skilled personal injury attorney immediately for a consultation.

Bio- Kim Hemphry is a passionate expert in the areas of Legal Matters, learning and education. She has been featured on over 50 leading Legal and education sites and is a modern thought leader in the field. More about her interests and articles on her site - http://kimhemphry.com