If you’ve been severely injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligent actions or inactions, you have the right to seek fair compensation for your injuries, medical expenses, pain, suffering, and other losses. It’s crucial to maximize your injury claim because you only have one shot at recovering what you’re owed.
Unfortunately, some people settle for less than what their claim is worth because of common mistakes that could have been prevented. This article discusses these mistakes and how to avoid them.
Avoid These Mistakes When Filing a Personal Injury Claim in Colorado
Some critical mistakes to avoid in a Colorado personal injury claim include:
- Not calling the police — The information in a police accident report can be a good starting point for any personal injury case, but there won’t be a report if you don’t call law enforcement to report an accident.
- Not getting medical treatment right away — First off, waiting too long to get medical treatment could worsen your injuries. Second, waiting to see a doctor gives insurance companies an opening to attempt to minimize or dismiss your injuries.
- Not telling your attorney or doctor about prior accidents — If you have been involved in an accident before, you need to let your lawyer and doctor know. If you don’t tell them about a prior accident, they will have a harder time showing your injuries are related to your most recent accident instead of a previous incident.
- Not returning to work when you can do so — You should not return to work before your doctor clears you, but once your doctor says you can go back to work, do it. If you do not report back to work, you could lose your job and jeopardize your personal injury case.
- Not holding on to your medical records, bills, and receipts — To recover full compensation for your injuries, medical bills, lost income, and other losses related to an accident, you need records of those losses. So, save all your medical records and anything related to your injuries or other losses after an accident.
- Giving a statement to insurance companies before speaking to a lawyer — In most personal injury cases, the party who will end up paying your claim is the liable party’s insurance company. That means you need to watch everything you say to them. As a general rule, never speak to an insurance company without a lawyer present.
- Not hiring a lawyer as soon as possible — Hiring a lawyer gives you a much higher chance of recovering maximum compensation for your injuries. Additionally, hiring a lawyer as soon as possible gives them more time to gather evidence to support your case without running into issues with the statute of limitations.
Contact Our Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys Today
The Olson Law Firm has a strong track record of representing accident victims in personal injury cases and helping them pursue fair compensation for their injuries. Contact us now for a free consultation.
