Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Car Accident Claim

Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney Fighting For You

Millions of car accidents happen each year, but it’s the last thing you want to happen to you. Not only does it put your life in danger, it also hurts your financial situation quite substantially. The worst part is when you consider having to pay for your property damage and medical care, all because of someone else’s mistake.

Fortunately, it is your right by law to file a claim against the negligent party to recover financial damages.

Unfortunately, some claims are lost, leading to wasted time, effort, and money. If you ever face a car accident where you are not at fault, hire a lawyer, file a claim, and make sure you do not make the following mistakes.

Underestimating Injuries

Resist the urge to tell the other party that you’re fine after an accident.  The shock and rush of adrenaline associated with an accident can diminish the initial pain of an injury which can take days or even weeks to truly manifest.  The pain you may dismiss in the wake of a car accident can leave you in tremendous discomfort soon after.  Be especially careful to avoid telling the other party’s insurer or attorney that you think you are unharmed from the accident.

Admit to Fault

In the same way, taking the blame after an accident can do serious harm to any injury claim you file.  If your admission of fault is brought up during your case, you could be rendered unable to recover any financial compensation.  Unless you are an expert in personal injury law, you should keep such opinions to yourself.

Fleeing the Scene

The last thing you would want to do is flee the scene of the accident as if you were running away from it. This leaves a very bad impression with police and the judge presiding over your case. Unless it is a dire medical emergency that needs to be attended to, leaving the site is not a good idea.

The Importance of Being Honest

You don’t face an accident every day, but personal injury lawyers and judges do on a routine basis. They are well-trained and experienced to evaluate each and every aspect of the case no matter how minute it is. If you think lying would help you settle for a better claim, you need to reevaluate the abilities of expert professionals and speak truthfully instead.

Ignoring the Doctor’s Advice

There are so many incidents where people who file the claim stop visiting their doctors just because they think their condition has improved. Never make that mistake! For starters, if anything happens as a result of ignoring a doctor’s appointments, you will not be compensated for it. Secondly, you will look irresponsible to the judge and your case will appear weaker because of it.

Getting Greedy

No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to get unreasonably high amounts for your claim. This is why it is important to hire a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer. He or she can examine the case prior to filing the claim and let you know the probable amount you can settle for. You are very unlikely to recover damages for anything more than that expected amount—that is, if your claim is successful.

Police Reports

Seriously injured people can easily become distracted with retaining an attorney and dealing with their insurance company and forget to obtain a police report of their accident. This is another one of the very common mistakes that can weaken your case. Your personal injury attorney will need that report to build a strong case against the other driver and establish their liability for the accident.

Social Media Use

It may be common sense to take to social media right away to detail your accident.  However, insurance agents know to check your recent statuses online to look for anything which might contradict what is in your injury claim.  They can use even benign photos of your to try and damage your credibility.  Stay off Facebook, Twitter, and other media until your case is settled.

Not Hiring an Attorney

One of the worst mistakes you could make to weaken your claim is not to hire a Los Angeles personal injury attorney to represent you and push for the compensation you deserve.  A lawyer can guide you through each and every step of your claim, and make sure you are compensated for the maximum amount possible.

There are a lot of mistakes you need to avoid while filing a claim. The above-mentioned ones are only a few of the most common ones to look out for.  Speak with The Law Offices of Jacob Emrani as soon as you are injured.  We can work hard to hold the negligent party accountable for your lost wages for work, medical bills, property damage, and pain and suffering.  Take the first step to obtaining the compensation you need.

Call the firm at (888) 952-2952 today for the legal help!