What Not to Do after an Accident
Some of my clients have learned legal lessons the hard way. They have been denied benefits they were rightfully entitled to, or received significantly smaller awards because of avoidable mistakes. Here are some things they did wrong:
1. Some waited for years before getting legal advice. They said they did not know if they had a claim and did not think to ask. They did not want to be seen as "the type of person" who sues. As a result they blew their right to Medical Payments coverage, witnesses disappeared, and medical records were not kept to document their pain and other losses.
2. Some did not tell their doctors about the accident which caused them to get hurt. So, the doctors records do not back up the claim. Or, they minimized their pain to please their doctor, and the doctor wrote weak reports.
3. They quit treating with their doctor, or failed to follow his or her medical advice. Gaps in treatment are rightfully seen as "I'm not hurt". Same thing with not following their advice.
4. They gave statements to insurance adjusters because they did not know any better.
5. They retained another law firm which was unqualified.. They were in the hands of a secretary who had no license to practice law and was overworked with hundreds of files. They finally got fed up and left wasting months or years of time.
6. They took their cars to the body shop and got them fixed without ever taking photos of the damages, or worse: their cars were totaled and then towed away to car heaven, where they were chopped into small pieces of metal.
7. They signed a release for peanuts.
8. They lost the names and contact information for witnesses.
I am sure there are other mistakes I could list. Maybe my 40 years of experience will help you avoid mistakes which would hurt your claims.
