A lot of car accident victims make the mistake of thinking that their legal case will be straightforward. Sure, the facts may lend themselves to this thought, but the personal injury legal process can be fraught with nuances and challenges.
While some of these difficulties are a product of the legal system, others are self-created.
As you prepare to take legal action following a serious car accident, make sure that you’re avoiding costly mistakes that could jeopardize your claim. What mistakes are those? Let’s take a closer look.
Commonly made mistakes following a serious car accident
It doesn’t take much to derail your car accident personal injury case. Here are some of the most common errors that are made in these cases that you’ll want to avoid:
- Admitting fault: State law dictates that the amount of compensation that you recover from a personal injury lawsuit can be reduced if you’re found to be partially at fault for your accident. Therefore, admitting fault or making statements indicative of fault such as “I’m sorry” and “I shouldn’t have done that” can damage your case. In the aftermath of your accident, then, try to stick to making factual statements.
- Lying about the facts: Don’t try to exaggerate or fabricate facts to make your case look stronger than it is. Eventually, those falsehoods will be discovered, and your claim will suffer as a result.
- Acting as if you’re more healed than you actually are: As your recovery progresses, you’ll have good days and bad days. On your good days, it might be tempting to partake in activities that you love but that your accident has previously hindered you from doing. Even though you only plan on engaging in these activities in a limited fashion, anyone laying eyes on you at that time, such as the defendant in your case or the insurance company, can take your actions out of context and paint a picture of you being far healthier than your lawsuit claims you to be. This can make it more challenging to paint the picture you want in your case.
- Posting on social media: Similar to the point above, posting on social media can give a false perception about how you feel and how your injuries have impacted your life. Therefore, it’s best to stay off social media until your car accident case resolves.
- Losing evidence: To not only win your case but also to maximize your financial recovery, you’ll need evidence. All too often, though, victims end up throwing away evidence that could help support their car accident claim. With that in mind, make sure you keep all receipts, invoices, prescription bottles, pictures, and anything else that helps show your accident and how it has negatively impacted your life.
- Not listening to the doctor: To prove your damages, you’ll need to create a record. The best way to do this is to follow your doctor’s recommendations for treatment. If you don’t, then it’s going to be hard to argue that you need ongoing treatment. So, listen to your doctor and seek out any follow up care that they recommend.
Prepare the strongest personal injury case possible under the facts
Although you’ll want to avoid the above-mentioned mistakes, you might still be able to develop a strong legal strategy even if there have been some errors along the way. You just need to carefully analyze the facts of your case in light of the law and think through the best way to argue your case. Hopefully then you’ll be able to find accountability and recover the compensation that you need to spur your recovery forward.
