Have you been injured in a truck or car accident? If so, we want to help. Before you proceed with an accident claim, beware of the things you can do that could potentially lower the amount of compensation you receive for your accident claim.
- Waiting to Seek Medical Treatment or Gaps in Medical Treatment
Even if you do not thing your injuries are serious, you need to be seen by a medical professional as soon as possible following the accident. An insurance company may try to argue that you were not seriously injured or you would have sought medical treatment and you are only seeking treatment now for a monetary settlement in an accident claim. It may also try to argue that if you had sought medical treatment earlier the injury would not be as severe. Gaps in treatment will also be used to argue that your injury is more severe due to your failure to follow-up with medical providers and follow their treatment plan.
- Pre-existing Injuries or Prior Accidents
Insurance companies often will ask you to sign a medical release to verify your injuries. While this sounds completely logical, you should never sign a medical release without consulting with a personal injury attorney first. If you are not careful, the insurance company will provide a general medical release for you to sign. This medical release allows the insurance company to obtain all of your medical information to search for conditions or prior accidents that the insurance company can use to argue your current injures are only this severe due to a pre-existing condition.
- Providing a Recorded or Written Statement
This is another way an insurance company will try to decrease the amount it must pay for your accident claim. The adjuster will try to get a recorded or written statement from you before you can consult with a personal injury attorney. Do not fall for this tactic – always consult our office before you providing any information to the insurance company for the at-fault party.
- Did you contribute to the accident?
Were you using a cell phone at the time of the car accident? When you fell, were you wearing high-heeled shoes? Were you wearing a seatbelt when the truck collided with your car? If the insurance company for the at-fault party can prove to a jury that you were at least partly responsible for your injuries, you may not receive the full value of your accident claim.
- Failing to hire an experienced NoLA personal injury attorney.
The insurance company for the negligent party will push you to settle your accident claim as quickly as possible, especially before you consult with a New Orleans personal injury lawyer. A personal injury attorney cannot guarantee that you will receive more money for your accident claim; however, in most cases, accident victims who retain an attorney receive a higher amount of compensation compared to victims who try to negotiate and settle an accident claim without an attorney.
Free Accident Claim Evaluations by Experienced New Orleans Personal Injury Attorneys
If you have been injured because of another person’s negligent or reckless behavior, contact our office for a free consultation. We never charge you for our legal advice about how to proceed with a personal injury accident claim. We believe that every person should have competent legal counsel before making a decision about how to proceed with an accident claim.