If you were seriously hurt through no fault of your own, you may be entitled to compensation for the associated damages. In such a scenario, you can pursue a payout by filing a personal injury claim.
While there’s no foolproof way to ensure your claim will yield a sizable settlement or verdict, there are steps you can take to increase your chances of recovering the compensation you deserve. There are also a number of mistakes you can take care to avoid so as not to jeopardize your case along the way.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes that claimants make while seeking the funds they need to put their lives back together:
1. Discussing Your Claim on Social Media
Claims adjusters have all kinds of methods for finding reason to challenge an injured party’s credibility, and monitoring online activity is one of them. If you remain active on social media while your case is pending, you’ll expose yourself to their scrutiny, which could end up hurting your case in a major way.
2. Failing to Seek Prompt Medical Care
Personal injury claimants have an obligation to mitigate damages. Otherwise, they could be deemed partially liable for the losses they incur, which will reduce the total payout to which they’re entitled.Under Michigan’s modified comparative fault rule, a plaintiff’s recovery must be reduced by his or her own percentage of liability. Those who are found more than 50 percent responsible, however, are barred from recovering anything at all.
In other words, it’s important to seek prompt medical care following the accident in which you were hurt. If you postpone treatment and suffer complications as a result, you could be accused of failing to mitigate damages. This, in turn, could prevent you from securing a settlement or verdict that covers 100 percent of your losses.
3. Assuming You Cannot Afford an Attorney
Reputable personal injury firms believe that everyone deserves quality counsel. As such, they’re willing to work for contingency fees.
If you hire a lawyer for a contingency fee, you don’t have to worry about covering any attorney’s fees out of pocket. Instead, the payment will come out of the settlement or verdict that results. And if your case proves unsuccessful? You won’t be responsible for any attorney’s fees whatsoever.
4. Concluding Negotiations Prior to Reaching Maximum Medical Improvement
If your injuries were enough to keep you out of work, it may be tempting to accept a settlement fairly early in the proceedings. There’s no way to be certain of the extent of your damages, however, until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement. As such, you should wait until your condition has stabilized and doctors have provided a fairly concrete prognosis before concluding the settlement negotiations.
Call (248) 385-5704 for a Free Consultation with a Detroit Personal Injury Attorney
At Seva Law Firm, we understand the devastating toll that unanticipated injuries can take on the whole family. If you were hurt because someone failed to act with reasonable care, we’ll help you pursue the compensation you need to make your life whole again. Call (248) 385-5704 or fill out our Contact Form to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Detroit.
ADDRESS 
CONTACT 
EMAIL