When you get injured and are in need of monetary compensation to pay for a costly medical treatment and recover as soon as possible, the party who is responsible for your injuries and his/her insurance company as well as their lawyers are your biggest enemies. They do NOT want you to succeed.
But those are not the only enemies you have when filing a personal injury claim. Believe it or not, as paradoxical as it may sound, you can actually be your own enemy, too.
No, not because you do not want your personal injury claim to succeed and receive the compensation that you deserve. What happens is that many people tend to make irrevocable and unforgivable mistakes when they try to handle their personal injury claims without a lawyer.
Only a Los Angeles personal injury attorney truly wants you to succeed, and will put his/her decades of experience in litigating similar cases to obtain the maximum compensation on your behalf. More importantly, if you are legally represented by an attorney, you will not make the following mistakes that are a sure-fire way to ruin your chances of winning a claim.
Thinking that you are not entitled to compensation because the accident was partially your fault. Even if you were partially at fault for an accident that caused your injuries, as long as the other party bears at least the tiniest degree of liability, you can still hold the other party responsible. However, the amount of damages recoverable will be reduced in proportion to the degree or percentage of fault. This is thanks to the legal doctrine of pure comparative negligence, which is employed in Los Angeles and all across California.
Giving recorded statements. Look, if an insurance company is calling you and wants you to give a recorded statement, it does it only because it wants to have at least something against you (not because your insurer actually cares about your health and how you are doing after an accident). You see, many people tend to make terrible mistakes when giving recorded statements, which is why insurance companies take advantage of it. Once you give a recorded statement, it cannot be taken back, re-recorded, or removed. That is why it is highly advised to hire a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer who would handle all negotiations with insurers on your behalf.
Telling the at-fault party or their insurance company about your injuries. Discussing your injuries after an accident is a very delicate matter. In fact, avoid talking about your injuries with anyone unless they are your immediate family members or your lawyer. Be sure that anything you say to the wrong people will be used against you, and if you happen to mention something that you should not have mentioned in a conversation with the at-fault party or their insurance company, you may ruin your chances of obtaining compensation altogether.
Not seeking medical attention right after an accident. Even if it seems that your injuries are minor but you still want to recover damages and get compensated for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages, seek medical attention right away. Those who overlook the importance of going to the hospital after an injury or receiving medical care at the scene of an accident risk making their personal injury claim impotent. Understandably, the at-fault party or their insurance company may doubt that your injuries were serious enough to settle your claim for the amount that you are asking for.
Let our best personal injury lawyers in Los Angeles examine your case and determine the full value of your claim. Here at the Compass Law Group, LLP, we take an aggressive approach when it comes to recovering damages for our clients. More importantly, we help you avoid making any mistakes that may kill your personal injury claim or plant any seeds of doubt in insurance companies about the severity of your injuries.