Although personal injury lawyers are mostly responsible for navigating an accident claim, it is important for the client or injured victim to also do their due diligence and protect themselves from possibly losing their case. If you are preparing to hire an accident lawyer for your personal injury claim, continue reading to learn which mistakes you need to avoid if you want a successful outcome to your case.
Common Errors Made by Accident Claimants That You Need to Avoid
Not Hiring a Lawyer and Representing Themselves
If you are preparing to make a personal injury claim after being wrongfully injured in an accident, your priority should be to hire a skilled and seasoned personal injury law firm in Indianapolis. We have the knowledge, resources, experience, and tenacity to recover the proper settlement for your damages and losses. Without the help of a well-versed and experienced accident attorney, you significantly risk the outcome of your case.
In fact, the very first error made by personal injury claimants is not hiring an accident lawyer and representing themselves instead. Many claimants who make this mistake end up settling for much less than what their case is truly worth. Just because the opposing party and insurance company is offering you ten thousand dollars as a settlement doesn’t mean that’s how much you deserve. Often, a case is worth more than triple what the insurance company initially offers.
Posting on Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, and Instagram are open to the public, including anyone trying to reduce the value of your personal injury claim. Claimants often make the mistake of posting pictures and videos on their social media pages that can be misconstrued or twisted into being contradictory to their claim.
Insurance companies and opposing party investigative teams will use a claimant’s public profile activities to devalue their claim. If you were just in an accident and you are preparing to bring about a claim against the wrongful party, be sure to stay off all social media until you have spoken with your lawyer. For example, you post a family picture with you smiling in it a few weeks after your automobile collision where you were injured. A defense attorney would say: “Look, she’s not even hurt, she is smiling.”
Not Being Credible and Consistent
All claimants in an accident or injury case will have their personal history and character choices scrutinized. Opposing parties and insurance companies fervently search for gaps and alleged inconsistencies in order to prove incredibility, and thus, reduce the value of the claim. For this reason, it is vital that you remain honest and consistent with your story throughout the personal injury case.
Failing to Gather Any Evidence
Regardless of the type of personal injury suit you are about to make, it is critical to the outcome of your case to have some form of evidence supporting your claim for compensation. Pictures and videos of the accident scene, as well as witness statements, medical records, police reports, and more are vital pieces of evidence that should be collected and preserved prior to the commencement of the accident claim process.
Are you looking for a reputable law firm to represent you in your accident claim in Indiana? Contact the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to schedule a free case evaluation with a seasoned Indianapolis IN personal injury lawyer you can trust. Act fast, before time runs out on your claim or evidence supporting your claim is lost. We represent injured people and the families for love ones lost due to the negligence of others throughout the State of Indiana.
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