Five Mistakes to Avoid in a Personal Injury Case

Posted in Blog,Personal Injury on August 19, 2019

If you or someone you love has been injured due to the negligent or careless actions of another person, you may need to pursue compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. However, these cases can become complicated, and you do not want to do anything to jeopardize a satisfactory settlement. Today, we want to discuss the top five mistakes to avoid in a personal injury case. Please remember to always speak to a qualified Georgia personal injury lawyer who can assist you as you move forward.

Your very move could be watched in these cases

Insurance companies are for-profit entities, and they do not want to make major payouts when it comes to settlements. If they are facing the possibility of a large settlement, they could watch everything you do. This could include:

• Spying on you when you leave the house
• Looking over your fence or into your windows
• Monitoring all of your online activity
• Speaking to your employer and even your close associates

This all sounds extreme, but you will be investigated at some point in your personal injury case. This may not happen all the time, but it only takes once to mess up the whole case.

Social media can be your worst nightmare

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. Most of us do not even think twice before snapping a photo or video and hitting the publish button. This could really get you in trouble if you have a personal injury case ongoing. Things that could be a problem include:

• Discussing details of the incident or the case.
• Sharing photos or videos of you being active when you are claiming an injury.
• Your friends or family discussing your case or posting photos/videos of you.

Even if your settings are set to private, many of your posts could still be noticed. Are all of your friends’ and family members’ social media accounts private as well?

It is best to avoid posting much at all on social media with an ongoing personal injury case.

Discussing your case with the wrong people

It can be tempting to discuss your personal injury claim with people, but you should avoid doing so with anyone other than your personal injury attorney. Your friends and family could eventually be asked about your case by the insurance company. A stranger asking about your injuries or your case could very well be the insurance company.

Giving up your right to file a lawsuit

You could be asked to sign a release or settlement offer at various times throughout a personal injury claim process. Be aware that you could be signing away your right to file a personal injury lawsuit in the future. Be sure that a personal injury lawyer checks anything you are asked to sign before you do so. Fine print is just as important as the big print.

Not following the doctor’s recommendations

It is vitally important that you follow all doctor’s recommendations after a personal injury. This includes:

• Going to follow up appointments
• Seeing recommended specialists
• Following a course of treatment
• Taking the required medications
• And more

Not only does this establish that you did indeed suffer an injury, but the insurance company will most certainly ask for records of your treatment.