Six important dos and don’ts for your personal injury claim
Are you considering filing a personal injury claim? Here are six important dos and don’ts to bear in mind.
If you are injured in an accident that is not your fault, you have the opportunity to file a personal injury claim to gain compensation to cover things like lost earnings, the cost of medical bills, and pain and suffering.
Filing a personal injury lawsuit also enables you to bring the responsible party to account. However, there are certain things you should and should not do. Here are just six important dos and don’ts to follow for your personal injury claim.
1) Do contact an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible
Whether you are injured in a car accident, by a defective product, or by a slip and fall accident on business premises, it is important that you contact an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
For instance, by making a personal injury claim with Boohoff’s lawyers, you can get all the legal expertise you need to stand the greatest chance of obtaining the best possible outcome for your case.
An experienced and skilful lawyer will be able to give you invaluable advice about the steps you should take. He or she will also be able to perform in-depth research into your case and represent you in court if an out-of-court settlement is not forthcoming.
2) Do gather evidence
The more evidence your lawyer has access to, the greater your chance of receiving the maximum compensation you deserve will be. So, gather as much evidence as possible.
Straight after a personal injury happens, you should photograph the scene of the accident. For instance, if you slipped on a wet floor that was not signposted in a store, by taking photos of the scene, you can prove that the store’s negligence caused your accident.
You should also take photographs of your injuries to prove the extent of your injuries. Just make sure that your photos are high-quality. Having a good camera phone will help.
Furthermore, you should get the contact details of witnesses so that they can help corroborate your story of what happened and prove the accident was not your fault.
3) Do keep receipts of your medical bills
To be successful in receiving financial compensation in a personal injury case, you will need to show what medical treatments, medications, and so on, you received and how much they cost.
Therefore, make sure that you keep all receipts and bills for all medical matters.
You should then forward those receipts and bills to your lawyer so that he or she can form a good case against the responsible party by proving the extent of your injuries and the financial cost associated with them.
4) Don’t take the insurance company’s first offer
Insurance companies will want to pay out as little as possible for your claim, so they will typically offer you a low settlement offer soon after your claim is registered. You should never take the first offer, as it is sure to be unfair.
That is one reason why you need a personal injury lawyer on board. He or she will have the professionalism to discern a fair offer from an unfair one and be able to advise you whether it is worth going to court to gain the best possible compensation offer.
5) Don’t discuss your claim with anyone except your lawyer
You should not discuss your claim with anyone or give statements to any insurance company representatives. If you do, it can dramatically impact your claim. Make sure all communications with insurance companies go through your lawyer.
6) Don’t post information online
Just like you should not discuss your case with anyone else except for your lawyer, make sure you do not post information about your case or pictures of your injuries on your social media sites or elsewhere on the web. If you do, it could harm your claim.
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