Buffalo Personal Injury Lawyer News5 Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Personal Injury Claim
You should not feel bound to pay the price for another person’s mistake.
In New York, accident victims have a legal right to file a claim for compensation against the person who caused their injuries. You can still sue even if you were partly to blame for the accident, and you do not have to have a rock-solid case to talk to a lawyer and schedule a consultation.
However, filing a personal injury lawsuit is often much easier than fighting one, let alone winning and walking away with enough money to begin building back.
You do not need a lawyer to go to court, but taking on a reckless driver, an insurance company, or a landlord without representation could come at a steep cost. Without the right representation, making even a small mistake risks your right to a fair recovery. Any oversight or omission, whether it is missing a deadline or glossing over a filing requirement, could end with a dismissal.
5 Mistakes That Could Hurt Your Personal Injury Case
- Waiting Too Long to See the Doctor
You cannot win a personal injury lawsuit if you cannot prove that you were ever injured.
Seeing the doctor creates a verifiable record of your health concerns. Without it, the insurance company could accuse you of exaggerating your symptoms or fabricating an injury for gain.
- Posting on Social Media
Anything you post online could come back to haunt you.
Even if your social media profiles are private, adjusters are not always above looking through your friends’ and family members’ feeds. All it takes is a single shared post or tagged photograph showing you smiling, happy, or active for an adjuster to try telling the court your injuries are not quite as serious as you are letting on.
- Trusting the Insurance Company
The insurance company’s job is not to help you; it is to generate profit for its shareholders.
Adjusters employ a wide range of tactics designed to trick accident victims into admitting liability, even when they did nothing wrong. They might ask you for a recorded statement, then twist your words against you during negotiations. Or they might demand unrestricted access to your medical records before pinning an accident-related injury on a pre-existing condition.
These tactics do not always work, but they are much harder to beat when you are trying to take on a multibillion-dollar company all by yourself.
- Settling for Less
Insurance companies do not always reach for the stick; sometimes, they will offer a carrot in the form of a token settlement. These settlements are designed to seem as attractive as possible, but they often do not include many of the damages you would receive if you were to hire a lawyer. If you have a pending offer that seems too good to be true, do not accept it without getting a second opinion. You would not get the chance to renegotiate.
- Trying to Win Without Representation
Do not take chances with your rights.
A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. knows what it takes to build a strong, evidence-based case. We have spent decades standing up to some of the biggest companies in the courts and have helped our clients across New York secure more than $300 million in damages. We could help you, too. Call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 1-716-839-3939 to speak to a personal injury lawyer and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.