Personal injuries come in numerous ways and most of the time they happen as accidents that could hardly have been avoided. However, if it is not your fault and you believe the other side is fully to blame for your injuries, there is a lot you can do in terms of taking legal action. Still, people who sadly experience personal injuries in this sense make a wide variety of mistakes that greatly reduce their chance at compensation in court. In order to help you with this, we assembled this list of the most common mistakes all personal injury clients make in order for you not to. Moreover, if you are currently experiencing consequences of a personal injury that was another person’s blame and are based in or around Atlanta, Georgia, make sure to check out The Dixon Firm. They have all you need to turn things around for the better.
1. Not keeping evidence
Remember that every case that goes to court needs evidence if the blame is to be put on the perpetrator. Without the evidence, you and your lawyer have little to base your case on. This is why you should remember to take and safeguard all of the evidence related to your personal injury. Treat the scene as a detective wood in a TV series or a movie and make notes, take photos, and do anything else you believe would help you. The state of shock and pain after the injury will cloud your memory and judgment and you will have a hard time looking back at it with a clear mind. Therefore, make sure to write down all of the details. If it involves vehicles, the model, color, and speed are key, as is the registration number. The way the other person talks to you and behaves is also important, as is their physical description. Anything that can be considered evidence is crucial for the case.
2. Not talking to witnesses
Just like the evidence, eyewitnesses are important for your case since they are the ones who clearly saw what happened without being involved. They will have crucial details about all the different factors that led to the injury taking place, an insight that the lawyers and the court, in general, will take into evaluation when making their decision. A witness is the third party in every scenario, and they can be as objective as possible since all they should care about is justice. If they saw you run a red light you have nothing more to add. But if it was not your fault and they saw it, they can be the one to weigh the case on your side and in your favor. Talk to them with your lawyer present and ask them for their own details about the accident. If you have more eyewitnesses, ask them if they would like to help you get compensation for your personal injury. There is no reason to expect them not to.
3. Picking any lawyer for the job
Not all lawyers are the same nor equally skilled and experienced in such matters. What is more, not all law firms are as well-equipped and respectable enough to win you the case. If a personal injury case is what you are after, you should hire a specialist lawyer who has dealt with this type of case before. Moreover, look for law firms that mostly deal with this type of problem. They will have seen it all already and have the best advice on how to prepare for the hearing, how to behave, how to talk, and how to make the case favorable for you. If they do not seem professional or trustworthy, look elsewhere. Your livelihood and well-being are in question so never settle for anything unless you deem it proper.
4. Withholding information
No matter how good or experience your lawyer maybe, they will not be able to do much for you if they lack the necessary information. Remember that the two of you are a team that is working together to get you justice. That is what you want from this partnership and why you broth them along. If you want to see it through the end and walk away from it as the winner, tell them all of the information that surrounds the case. Where you were going, who you were with, what you did, everything. It is their job to reconstruct the circumstances that led to your injuries and deem who is to blame for them. Maybe it was somebody else entirely, maybe you were looking at it from the wrong perspective. You can never know. Therefore, make sure to tell them all you know and show them all the evidence you have.
5. Thinking you are their only case
Law firms hire multiple lawyers, and each one has a few active cases at any given time. This means that the most successful and trustworthy firms who hire the best lawyers in the business have even more on their plate. Since that is the case (no pun intended), the lawyer you are working with will be busy and have a lot on their plate outside of your case. Be ready to accept that especially if you are not able or willing to pay more and make your case a priority. It takes time and resources to see a case through, and the more complicated it is the more time and more sessions there will be. Be patient and help the lawyer at every turn. You are hardly their only case, and you should not be their only case. If you are, it means they hardly get any clients and there is probably a good reason for it.
Five More:
- Not asking something because you think it is stupid – ask your lawyer anything you like
- Thinking it is easy to get compensation – it is often a tough, or rather slow ordeal
- Worrying about a potential jury – civil claims rarely have true trials with juries, but a judge
- Not hiring a lawyer at all – you cannot do this alone so do not try it
- Settling too soon – do not settle or accept anything prematurely
