The biggest personal injury claim mistakes are saying you’re not hurt, skipping or ignoring medical care, taking the first insurance offer and failing to document what happened. As Marlo Greer jokes in her video on this topic, there’s no single most important thing. There are several.
Medical Care and Documentation
Never tell anybody you’re not injured. In many cases, injuries don’t fully show up until well after the crash, fall or other incident that caused them. You may think you’re fine, only to learn later that you’re not. See Delayed Symptoms After a Car Accident: 6 Signs to Discuss.
Get proper medical treatment. If you don’t, you can be accused of contributing to injuries someone else caused, and that can significantly reduce any compensation you receive.
Follow the directions of the medical professionals you’re working with. If you don’t, the insurance company may blame you for your continuing pain, suffering and medical problems.
If you hire an expert, follow their advice too. Otherwise, you may be accused of making things worse for yourself.
Insurance and Settlement Decisions
Refuse the first offer an insurance company makes to resolve your claim. They will almost always go higher, especially if your claim is well documented. Before you sign anything, read Car Accident Release Forms: What to Check Before Signing.
Photos, Witnesses and Reports
Document your claim with photos if you were injured in a crash or a slip-and-fall, or have someone take them if you can’t. Take as many as possible. For a vehicle crash, try to show where the vehicles ended up and every spot on each vehicle with damage. Any expert you work with, such as an attorney, doctor, mechanic or accident reconstruction expert, may want to review them.
If your case involves a crash, call the police and get a police report that properly identifies who was at fault. Also get the recording of your 911 call, or any other 911 call related to the crash. For a full checklist, read What to Do After a Car Accident in Colorado: 9 Steps.
Talking to a Lawyer About Your Injury Claim
When you work with us, we make sure all of these things are covered. It’s what we do every day. We know how to protect our clients and position them to receive the compensation they’re entitled to.
As Marlo notes, we don’t like to claim we can get you what you “deserve,” because what you deserve is never to have been injured at all. Since we can’t turn back the clock, we work to make sure you’re financially compensated for your injuries and damages.
If someone else’s negligent or intentional conduct injured you, call Greer Law at 303-331-6460 or submit our contact form to schedule a free case evaluation.
