Some Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Personal Injury Case

Car accidents, personal injuries, and other incidents are heavy experiences that send your brain into a panic. Many first concerns after an accident usually revolve around health, but once they are physically safe, many people forget to address the next steps in Denver Colorado. Without accurate information, people often make decisions that hurt their opportunities to heal or receive compensation after an incident. Here are the four most common mistakes people make that will ruin your personal injury case:

Not Seeking Timely Medical Care

The first mistake people make after an incident is failure to seek timely medical care. Frequently, people will suffer injuries from a crash but won’t get checked out. An insurance company or adjuster evaluating your injuries will assume that since you did not seek help promptly, you are not that hurt. People with significant injuries get medical assistance immediately and follow up on those injuries, so a failure to seek medical care is a critical aspect of personal injury cases.

Exaggerating or Minimizing Your Injuries

The second common occurrence is when patients either exaggerate or minimize their injuries. When you magnify your injuries, your doctor will take note of it in your record that your pain is out of proportion to the exam. It will show that you’re not bending or twisting like you might be able to do. The insurance company will catch on to that. You and your case have lost the credibility it deserves. The same is with minimizing your injuries. Some patients want to tough it out. And while I understand because I am one of those people, later on, when you describe the seriousness of your injuries or seek intense medical attention, insurance companies may not believe you. When you do not tell your experience truthfully from the start, medical professionals and insurance companies may not give you the care you need at the price you deserve.

Talking To Insurance Without An Attorney’s Opinion

The third common mistake is talking to the insurance company without first seeking the opinion of an attorney. People tend to do the right things: live right, tell the truth, and work closely with their adjusters. When doing that with an insurance company, your words might get twisted. For example, adjusters may ask clients if they have had neck pain prior to the incident. The client responds, “Of course, who hasn’t had neck pain, but I’ve never had neck pain like this. This was from the crash.” The problem is with that first statement: “who hasn’t had neck pain”. They assume the client has suffered from a pre-existing injury or condition not caused by the crash. At our firm, we frequently dig patients out of holes because people speak with the insurance company before with an attorney. They make neutral, innocent statements that end up harming their case.

Failure to Get Timely Attorney Involvement

The fourth and most detrimental mistake is failure to get timely attorney involvement. Sometimes in an accident, there is critical information to be gathered that will aid your case. Whether we need film footage that is erased every three days or statements from witnesses that get lost, evidence to prove your case is always most reliable and accessible quickly after the accident. Timely consultation with an attorney is critical. We’re able to capture witness statements, get video evidence, and even save the Black Box data in a car before it’s been destroyed by a wrecking yard.

After an accident, it is paramount to seek help early, get guidance from an attorney, avoid statements that go against your interest, fairly represent your injuries, and be truthful about the situation. If you do these things, everything will go well in your personal injury case.