It’s no secret. Insurance companies are just like all other companies. Their top priorities are reducing expenditures and increasing profits, and there’s nothing wrong with that – unless an insurance company isn’t treating you legally or fairly.
However, some insurance companies will use any excuse to deny your injury claim, so you can’t give them an excuse. If you’re represented by San Antonio injury attorney Matthew S. Norris, he will advise you regarding the mistakes you must avoid while your personal injury claim is pending.
What Mistakes Must Be Avoided?
If you’ve been injured because another person was negligent – a reckless motorist, a careless property owner, or even your own employer – you have the right to compensation for your medical bills and lost wages, but you cannot make mistakes that risk your compensation. These are the most-commonly-made mistakes that defeat an injury victim’s personal injury claim:
- failing to seek prompt and proper medical care
- failing to gather important evidence
- exaggerating details of your accident and injury
- speaking to the negligent party’s insurance company
Failing to Obtain Treatment
You should seek medical care immediately after any accident that could conceivably cause an injury. Even if you don’t feel injured, a hard-to-detect or latent injury could soon become a serious medical condition. Seek treatment within 24 hours of any accident. Later, should you need compensation, you’ll need to prove when, where, and how you were injured, and without a prompt medical examination, that will be difficult.
Failing to Gather Evidence
If you expect to receive compensation after you’ve been injured, you must have accurate and specific documentation regarding what happened and how seriously you are injured. When an accident happens, your attorney will not be there to advise you, so the task of gathering evidence will be yours.
Take photos of the accident location and your visible injuries. Try to obtain the names of any witnesses and their contact information. If it’s a traffic accident, summon the police and exchange contact and insurance details with the other driver.
A common mistake made by the injured victims of negligence is failing to gather the necessary documents and evidence. San Antonio injury attorney Matthew S. Norris can advise you – later – but when an accident happens, you’ll need to think clearly and gather evidence at the scene.
Exaggerating the Details
Exaggerating or misrepresenting in any way any detail or fact about a personal injury case could be considered fraud. You could be prosecuted, but there’s no reason to exaggerate. Your claim must be honest, accurate, and precise if you intend to prevail and obtain compensation.
Whenever an injured victim of negligence seeks compensation, that individual’s honesty may be scrutinized. Any exaggeration could mean the defeat of your claim. It may help if you write out the basic details of what happened – and stick with that account of the accident.
Talking to the Insurance Company
Do not speak to any representative of the negligent party’s insurance company. Direct that person instead to your personal injury lawyer. Do not record a statement or sign a written statement for the negligent party’s insurance company, and don’t be tempted by their first settlement offer.
A first offer will almost certainly be for an amount less than your personal injury claim is worth, and the right attorney will negotiate a more generous settlement – or obtain a jury verdict – on your behalf.
The One Mistake That Must Be Avoided
The one mistake that you must avoid after sustaining an injury caused by negligence is failing to seek the right attorney’s help as quickly as possible. You need to have an effective legal team handling your case from the very beginning.
Your first consultation at the Law Office of Matthew S. Norris is provided at no cost and with no obligation. Let us guide you through the legal process and recover the compensation – and the justice – that victims of negligence need and deserve.
Fax: (210) 446-4482
