Raleigh Personal Injury Attorney Explains Common Mistakes in Personal Injury Claims:
If you are injured in an accident, the last thing on your mind is how to prove your case at trial or deal with a difficult insurance adjuster. Accidents can be painful, stressful, and sudden, but things that are said or done in their aftermath can have lasting and damaging impacts. Our Raleigh personal injury lawyers explain the common mistakes to avoid following your accident that can prevent or limit the fair recovery you could receive in your case.
Mistake #1: Admitting fault
The most common mistake after an accident is admitting fault. Most often, you aren’t fully aware of everything that caused the accident or are feeling concern if someone else was injured. No matter what you think or how you feel at the time, it is important that you don’t blame yourself or accept blame or discuss it with anyone at the scene. It is best to say nothing at all until the evidence and facts can be analyzed by a professional.
Mistake #2: Providing a Written or Recorded Statement to an Insurance Company
Following an accident, you might be asked to give a recorded statement by an insurance company, and you should be careful before doing so. Insurance companies use these statements to determine fault and, if possible, deny coverage. Before speaking to anyone connected to an insurance company or a lawyer representing any of the other parties, you should consider contacting a personal injury lawyer first. Your lawyer can decide if you should give a statement at all and the best way to respond if you do.
Mistake #3: Not Getting Medical Treatment Immediately
If you have been in an accident, you need to go to the hospital and get checked out by a professional. You health is your most important asset, and after a traumatic event, most people are not very good at recognizing if they’ve been injured or how badly. Because of the rush of adrenaline, it is common for people to feel fine immediately after the accident occurs and not feel pain and the extent of their injuries until several days later. Insurance companies may use the fact that you failed to go to the doctor or seek medical treatment as a way to reduce or limit your claim for damage. If an accident occurs, getting examined by a medical provider is one of the most important things you can do.
Mistake #4: Not Following Medical Advice
Once you have been examined and treated, it is important to follow your medical provider’s advice. Stopping treatment and not attending appointments is not only bad for your health, it can be hurt any potential claim you might have. Large gaps in treatment are regularly used to show that your injuries were not as significant as you claim and that they might have been caused by something else that occurred during that gap. We understand that the costs of treatment and time constraints may discourage you from continuing to seek treatment. If you have questions about getting the care you need or how it could impact your case, you should contact a personal injury lawyer about your injuries.
Mistake #5: Not Contacting a Raleigh Personal Injury Lawyer Soon Enough
Physical recovery is only the first step in recovering from an accident. You have to contend with medical bills and expenses for your injuries now and also the potential for medical bills and expenses for treatment in the future. On top of all that, you may find yourself dealing with an insurance company that is trying to pay you nothing or as little as possible. Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers in Raleigh, NC can help you at every step along the way, negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, fight when necessary, and allow you to focus on your health and recovery. If you have questions about an accident that you or a family member were involved in, please contact us for a free consultation. We’re here to help.
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If you were injured in a car accident or another type of motorized vehicle, contact our experienced personal injury lawyers in Raleigh, North Carolina for a free consultation. We can help you and your family recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and conscious pain and suffering. Even if the at-fault party’s insurance company blames you for the accident, our award-winning injury lawyers have experience in these cases to help ensure that you recover the maximum amount of compensation that you deserve for your damages.