A personal injury can have serious and long-ranging effects on your health, comfort, and ability to support yourself. If the injury was caused by another person’s negligence, you may be able to seek compensation by pursuing an injury claim. An attorney will help you explore this option in more depth, but it’s important to remember that you need to follow established laws and procedures. A mistake can easily get your claim denied or your case dismissed. To help avoid these outcomes, here are a few common errors to avoid.
What Personal Injury Mistakes Should You Avoid?
1. Not Receiving Prompt Medical Care
Even after experiencing an injury, some people are reluctant to go to the doctor, often out of fear, concerns about affordability, or scheduling barriers. But insurers, attorneys, judges, and juries need proof that you were injured, and medical records provide some of the strongest evidence. They offer crucial insights into the severity of the injury, the events that caused it, treatment and prognosis, and your pain levels. Also, opposing parties could easily claim that an injury isn’t that serious if you didn’t seek prompt treatment. To strengthen your claim, be sure to receive medical care as soon as possible after an injury.
2. Sharing Details on Social Media
Social media has become a fact of life in the modern world. However, it’s made it all too easy to share too much personal information, and in the case of a personal injury, this can be extremely detrimental. Insurance companies often monitor the social media accounts of claimants in an attempt to discredit their cases. For instance, if you claim serious injuries but post social media photos of yourself out on the town partying or embarking on a major vacation, the severity of the case could be called into question. It’s always best to keep accident and injury details to a minimum in public forms like social media platforms.
3. Accepting the First Settlement Offer
Most injury cases are resolved through settlement rather than trial. However, don’t forget that the other party wants to pay you as little as they can get away with. The first offer is only a starting point for negotiations. Work closely with your attorney to learn the value of the claim and what is and is not an acceptable offer. This will put you in a good place to negotiate successfully.
Let the attorneys at Fitzpatrick, Skemp & Butler LLC guide you through the intricacies of an injury case. Since 1982, they have been serving the Onalaska and La Crosse, WI, area. They represent clients in injury, workers’ compensation, Social Security disability, and wrongful death claims. Call (608) 784-4370 to discuss your case or visit them online to browse their services.