The traumatic experience of being involved in an auto accident takes a heavy toll on both your physical and emotional health. And the big dent it makes in your bank account adds salt to the injuries. Fret not, because not all is lost. You can always hire a car accident lawyer to defend your case in the court and wrestle out a hefty sum in compensation from the other party involved in the accident. However, beware of committing those mistakes that apparently seem to be innocent, but may end up ruining your case altogether. We have identified five such small mistakes that can harm your case in a big way, and how to avoid them:
- Lying
- Incomplete Submission of ‘No Fault’ Forms
- Talking About Your Case in the Wrong Place
- Posting on Social Media
- Signing the Wrong Documents
- Filing a Claim Too Late
Consequences of lying can be disastrous. Any false statement – however small it may be – can ruin even a legitimate case. Your personal injury claim can be declared null and void if the insurance company can prove that you have provided false information on your insurance application.
Don’t be inattentive while filling up your ‘No Fault’ claim forms. These forms require you to fill up the services for which you are seeking reimbursement. The amount of compensation you will get in total depends, to a considerable extent, on how accurately you fill up the form. In a recent case in Michigan Court of Appeals, the court held that a person may lose all ‘No Fault’ benefits due to the inaccurate submission of information. Even a minor or innocent mistake can label you as a ‘fraud’, ultimately resulting in the termination of all your No Fault insurance benefits.
Once you have filed a ‘No Fault’ insurance claim, many people will try to contact you. They may include the defense lawyer, insurance adjusters and even jurors. They are all legal professionals, who know exactly how to trap you into making a statement that you shouldn’t. As a thumb rule, you should not talk about your case with anyone. You never know, whom the at-fault driver or insurance company has hired to mislead you. The best way to avoid such hassle is to have the person call your car accident lawyer.
A wrong post on your Facebook or Twitter profile can hurt your case beyond repair. The defense lawyers and insurance adjusters will scurry through your social media profiles in search of posts, photos or any other type of content that they can use to prove that you are not as injured as you are claiming. This will help them avoid the full responsibility of the harm that their client has caused. This is why you need to be extra cautious about updating status or posting photos relating to your activities.
Don’t sign any document until you check with your accident lawyer. Even a simple insurance document like a mini-tort release – whose content apparently looks innocent – may have fine prints that can jeopardize your interests in any future claims or may allow the at-fault insurance company an unauthorized access to your medical records, resulting in the gross violation of your privacy.
There’s a specific time limit for filing a suit for your ‘No Fault’ case. Different states have different rules in this regard. For example, the state of Michigan gives you just one-year time to file a ‘No Fault’ case in any court in this state. In case of Florida, this time limit for filing a personal injury and property damage cases related to traffic accidents in four years.
Each accident case is unique. Therefore, it will be disastrous for you if you allow yourself to be guided by the example of another accident victim who has just won a hefty sum in compensation. If you have been involved in an auto accident, the best advice would be to contact a car accident lawyer at the earliest. And until you provide him the full details of your case, refrain from discussing your case with anybody else.
