No one wants to be involved in a personal injury case, but sometimes things just happen. If you believe that you might have a personal injury case on your hands – perhaps you were injured on someone else’s property due to their negligence – then you owe it to yourself to go about handling your personal injury case in the right way. In order to help you do that, we’re going to share a few mistakes that people often make that you should avoid, because they can prove quite costly!
Delays Kill Cases
If you’ve fallen victim to an unfortunate accident, do not delay in getting treatment and in involving the necessary authorities. You may be a nice person, and perhaps you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but it’s of vital importance that you act on an injury immediately after it happens. For example, if you’re involved in a car accident, you’ll want to contact the police so that there’s a record. Likewise, you’ll want to make sure that insurance information is exchanged.
Not Collecting Evidence
After an accident has occurred, it can be very difficult to ascertain the exact circumstances after the fact. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that you gather and retain as much evidence as possible. Everyone these days has a smart phone in his or her pocket. If you had a slip and fall accident, take pictures of the scene that show what caused you to slip and fall. Likewise, get the contact information of anyone who may have witnessed the accident as it transpired. All of this evidence will be vitally important when making your case later.
Making Statements
It’s important that, following an accident, you do not make any statements wherein you admit blame or could be construed to be admitting blame. All of those statements can be used against you at a later date in order to combat your personal injury claim. If you’re required to make any statements, stick to the facts, and if you’re uncertain, then get in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible.
Not Seeking Medical Attention
Just as you need a police report to build your personal injury case, you’ll also need a medical record to corroborate your claims. Therefore, do not delay in seeking any medical attention you might need. If you delay, the person that you’re making the personal injury claim against can allege that the injuries you suffered were unrelated to the accident at hand. Also, be sure to follow the directives of the medical professionals that oversee your treatment. Failing to follow their advice can also scuttle your personal injury case.
Hire a Lawyer
Following an injury related to an accident of one form or another, you should contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Even if you’ll just be dealing with insurance, it’s important to remember that all people (and insurances companies) are only interested in saving themselves money. This works to your disadvantage when you’re working to recover from a personal injury. Only a lawyer can help you ensure that your rights are fully protected.
