If you were injured in an accident that was not your fault, you deserve to receive all the compensation you are entitled to. It has altered your life and impacted your family: physically, emotionally, and financially. The outcome of your injury case is vital as medical bills continue to pile up, wages are lost and your future physical health is uncertain.
Other than hiring an experienced injury law firm to handle your case, it is important that you don’t wreck your own injury case.
Insurance companies are in business to make money, plain and simple. The less they pay out for injury claims, the more money they make.
So what can you do to help win your injury case or personal injury claim? Here are 5 tips to give you the best shot of winning your injury case.
1. DO NOT ACCEPT AN IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT OFFER
Insurance companies routinely extend low injury settlement offers to someone before they even hire an attorney. It may sound like a lot of money, but it is usually never as much as you SHOULD receive. On average, injury claims handled by an attorney settle for about three times more than those cases handled without an attorney. Once you accept a settlement, you can’t go back and try to negotiate for more money. The case is over and final.
2. BE TRUTHFUL
Always be truthful when dealing with insurance adjusters and claims investigators. Sometimes injured people will overstate information or completely exclude details in their case. DO NOT do this. It is a red flag to insurance adjusters and claims investigators. Insurance companies know more about you than you might think as they have access to large databases of information about you that you may think is personal or know one knows about.
3. MAINTAIN GOOD RECORDS
After the accident, you want to immediately start documenting everything and continue to do so throughout the course of your case. What kind of documents should you keep?
- Copy of the police report and/or accident report
- Photos or videos from the scene
- Photos or videos of your injuries
- Medical records
- Medical bills
- Records of lost wages
- Insurance policies – yours, your passengers and the other drivers involved
- Investigative materials
- Contact information for any witnesses
- Treating doctors
- Insurance representatives
- Car repair documents
4. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF YOUR CASE
It’s easy to underestimate the costs of past and any future medical expenses. This rings especially true when settling a case too early before you know the severity of your injuries. The aftermath of an injury may involve lingering pain or disability and require years of physical therapy and rehabilitation. There may even be permanent damage. That’s why it is important to determine you are getting fair compensation for your medical expenses and lost wages in your injury settlement.
5. SOCIAL MEDIA
It is easy for insurance adjusters and claims investigators to review your social media photos and postings on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or any others. Posting information about your case or photos can quickly damage your injury case. Additionally, anything that you post can be taken out of context from the words you use or the photos and videos that you post.
CONTACT THE PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS AT THE BRODIE LAW GROUP
The injury lawyers and staff at the Brodie Law Group have the knowledge and experience to help you recover for your injuries and damages sustained due to the fault of others. We work to make sure you receive the maximum recovery amount available to you for your case. Contact our Macon personal injury lawyers today at (478) 239-2780 to get started on your case today.
