If you want a fair and reasonable amount for your injury claim, you must avoid mistakes with the handling of your claim. While there are countless mistakes you can make with your injury claim, in this video I’m going to discuss four of the biggest mistakes. Also, stick around to the end of the video as I will be providing a bonus tip that can potentially help anyone with a valid injury claim win a bigger settlement.
Mistake 1: Leaving the Scene Without Making a Report
The first mistake I see injury victims make is leaving the scene of the accident without making a report. If you’re involved in a car accident, make sure you call the police and the police come to the scene to create a police report. If you are injured in a slip or trip and fall, be sure to get a manager at the business involved and request that a report be created. And if you sustain a dog bite by someone else’s dog, call the police and the local animal control department to make sure they create a report. If you’re injured, wait for paramedics and an ambulance to come to the scene. You want to make sure your injuries get documented at the scene. You also want to make sure you tell your side of the story as to what happened so that makes it into the report. It’s better for your case if your injuries are documented at the scene and your side of the story is also documented at the scene.
Mistake 2: Accepting a Small Settlement Offer
The second mistake to avoid is to not accept a small settlement offer made to you by the insurance company for your injury claim shortly after your accident. I get calls from prospective clients quite frequently that have been injured in a slip or trip and fall or car accident that say they’ve already been offered $500, $1,000, or even $5,000 or more for their injury claim by the insurance adjuster or claim handler in their case. Do not accept this offer. If they are offering you that minimal amount, it’s almost certain that your claim has more value than that low settlement offer the adjuster is making to you. An insurance company is a for-profit business. The goal of the insurance company is to make as much money as possible. By making a lowball settlement offer shortly after your incident, insurance companies know that some injury victims will accept that low settlement offer, which can save the insurance company boatloads of money.
Mistake 3: Giving a Recorded Statement
The third mistake is giving a recorded statement to the insurance company. You are not legally required to give a recorded statement to the insurance company. The only possible exception is when your own automobile insurance company is involved in a motor vehicle accident case. You may be contractually obligated to do so for your own automobile insurer. It’s not in your best interest to give the insurance company a recorded statement. The main reason they want you to give your recorded statement is so that you say something that hurts your case during the recording. Insurance companies will then retain lawyers to defend your lawsuit if you ever have to file a lawsuit that will use your recorded statement as evidence against you and to discredit you. So, never give a recorded statement to the insurance company.
Mistake 4: Not Consulting with an Injury Lawyer
The fourth mistake is not consulting with an injury lawyer. I’m not saying you have to hire an injury lawyer because I don’t think it’s always necessary for all injury victims to hire an attorney for their case. However, I do always think it’s wise to at least consult with an attorney about your case so that you know your legal options. While every injury attorney I know works on a contingency fee basis, meaning you only pay the attorney out of the settlement if you win the case, there’s still certainly some claims out there that some people have where hiring a lawyer may not make sense. If you do consult with a lawyer, I’d recommend asking them if they are going to be the lawyer handling your case throughout the case and how you can contact them about your case if you have any questions. You want to make sure this is someone you are going to get along with and that you are comfortable with in handling your case, so maybe even considering calling a few attorneys to have a consultation with each of them to see which one you are most comfortable with.
Bonus Tip: Lawyer Willing to File a Lawsuit
This all leads me to my bonus tip. When you do speak with the lawyer, ask them if they are willing to file a lawsuit for you if you don’t get a fair settlement offer in your case. Some injury law firms don’t file lawsuits for their clients, but rather always recommend settling or pass on their client’s case to another lawyer. You want to make sure the attorney you choose and are comfortable with is a lawyer that is willing to file a lawsuit for you should a fair and reasonable offer not be made in your case.
Conclusion
Not only can a person make a mistake during the handling of their injury claim, but insurance companies will also try to trick you. To learn how insurance companies will try to trick you with your injury claim, watch this video here. And if you have been injured due to a slip or trip and fall incident, car accident, or dog bite incident, remember: don’t wait, call Tate.
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