Are you planning on making a claim for compensation? If so, you need to do everything you can to maximize your chances of winning. If you make a claim and it’s denied, you can’t make another.
There is an appeal process, but the chances of reversing an insurance company’s decision are slim to none. For the uninitiated, maximizing one’s chances of winning a personal injury claim can feel like a mammoth undertaking.
The law is very confusing. This post will explore this topic in more detail and tell you about the top six secrets you can use for winning your personal injury case.
1. Hiring Legal Representation
The first thing that you need to do if you want to win a personal injury case is to hire legal representation. A lawyer’s support is essential.
You won’t be able to make a claim without a personal injury lawyer being there to help you. A lot of people try to represent themselves, but the chances of success when it comes to self-representation are basically zero.
Very few people have enough knowledge of the law to be able to negotiate with insurance adjusters, who’re the professionals employed by insurance companies to argue people’s claims down.
Make sure the lawyer you hire is one with lots of experience and knowledge of the law, so they can effectively help you.
2. Gathering Lots of Evidence
Evidence is crucial. You won’t be able to make a claim for personal injury without it. The best type of evidence is either photo or videographic evidence from the scene of the accident.
You also need to have the responsible party’s contact information, otherwise your lawyer will not have anyone to address the claim to.
If you have been seriously injured and evidence has been covered up by the responsible party, your lawyer will be able to instruct a private investigator and pay them to research the case for you.
It’s very important to make sure you find the most experienced lawyer you can, so they know to do this in the event that evidence is covered up.
Hiding and covering up evidence is a crime, so your lawyer will also be able to pursue legal action against the person for trying to derail your case.
3. Telling the Truth
If you want to make a claim for personal injury compensation, you need to make sure that you tell the truth. Attempting to make a claim and lying about the details of it is one of the worst things that you can do.
You are almost guaranteed to fail if you try to do this. Something to note about claims where claimants lie is that the most likely outcome is that they’ll end in a fraud arrest.
Insurance companies are unforgiving when it comes to fraud prosecutions. If somebody lies to them to get compensation, they will not hesitate to pursue severe legal action.
In addition to the insurance company you are claiming from taking legal action against you and dismissing your claim, your lawyer’s likely to drop you as a client the second they find out that you have been lying to them or have told mistruths.
4. Let Your Lawyer Do the Work
It is very common for personal injury claimants to try and micromanage their claims. Micromanaging your claim is a very bad idea, because it can lead to your lawyer getting annoyed.
No lawyer’s going to need you to help them with your case. They’ll want evidence and information from you, then they’ll get in touch if they need to talk to you. Until your lawyer gets in touch with you, it’s a bad idea to harass and bother them.
Make sure you only email your lawyer when it has been a while since you spoke to them, or they ask you to. Also avoid calling them unless absolutely necessary.
What you have to understand about most lawyers is that they have heavy caseloads, so by calling and harassing them, you are preventing them from being able to work on their other clients’ cases, which will slow them down and lose them money.
5. Focus On Your Recovery
You need to focus on getting better. Do not fall into the trap of obsessing over your claim. A lawyer will be able to manage your claim for you while you worry about getting better.
The process of making a claim for personal injury compensation can be long and drawn out, so you need to relax and let your lawyer do their job. In the interim between making your claim and receiving compensation, you can apply for disability benefits.
Disability benefits are a form of benefit paid to the victims of injuries and accidents to help them continue living normal lives. To qualify, your injuries will need to be severe enough to prevent you from being able to work.
Something else to note is that you can hire a charity to help you manage your disability benefit claim, since applying for them can be extremely challenging.
6. Have Patience
Finally, patience is key. You need to relax, so your lawyer can do their job.
However, relaxing isn’t just important because it gives your lawyer the space they need to comfortably work on your case, but it’s also important because it can sooth you and ease anxiety or depression.
Accidents can have a negative impact on the body, mentally and physically. Most people focus on the physical consequences of accidents, not the mental ones, however. You need to put heavy emphasis on mental recovery.
You may want to get in touch with a psychiatrist or a counselor if your symptoms are so severe they are negatively impacting your daily life.
A psychiatrist will be able to talk you through your problems and help you to come out the other side feeling better. Any medical expenses incurred as a result of your injuries can be claimed back, so send receipts to your lawyer.
Conclusion
Personal injury cases can be very confusing for individuals who’ve never had to make them before. If you plan on making one, give consideration to each point made here.
This article’s guidance will help you to come out the other side of your claim with the maximum amount of compensation.