Being injured through no fault of your own can be a scary experience. And taking that case to court by filing a personal injury lawsuit can be even more stressful and frightening. The good news is that having a good personal injury lawyer by your side can help you increase your chance of winning the compensation you deserve. But as a claimant, you also play your part in improving the potential success rate of your case. By understanding and avoiding these common mistakes that personal injury claimants tend to make, you can make the process easier for yourself and improve your chances of winning.
Assuming Your Lawyer Always Has Your Case in Mind:
Thanks to TV shows,it’s no surprise that many people assume their lawyer will only be working on their case but sadly this isn’t true. More often than not, a personal injury lawyer might have hundreds of clients at any one time, depending on the complexity of the cases and how many people they have working for them. Don’t just assume that your lawyer is working on your case; frequently communicate with your lawyer and don’ be afraid to get in touch with them and ask for updates if you haven’t heard from them in a while. If you feel that your lawyer might be dealing with a high number of cases that are impacting your own, it’s worth considering switching to a different firm.
Failing to Gather or Keep Evidence:
If you can, the first thing that you should do after being involved in an accident is to gather evidence, once you have ensured that you and anyone else involved is OK. View the scene of the accident as if it were the scene of a crime and try to gather and preserve as much evidence as possible. Take as many photos and videos as you can if possible, write things down, and speak to any witnesses on the scene. While you might still be able to file a lawsuit without evidence, gathering as much as possible will make it much easier for you to win.
Thinking Questions are Too Silly to Ask:
You might have seen commercials that suggest making your personal injury claim will be super easy but end up worrying that some questions might be too silly to ask. However, at Gibson Hill Personal Injury, any question is welcomed. After all, no good lawyer will expect you to fully understand everything surrounding your case and you have a right to get as much detail as possible regarding what’s going on.
Believing a Lawyer Isn’t Needed:
Insurance companies may often try to settle a claim directly with the claimant and even try to lead them to believe that hiring a lawyer will make things more complicated and cost them more in legal fees. But this simply isn’t true. Insurance companies tend to put up a fairly good fight against the experienced lawyers, so a claimant with no experience or knowledge of personal injury law is going to be in the losing position from the start without a good lawyer by their side.
If you’re considering, or in the process of, filing a personal injury claim, avoid making these common mistakes.