5 Things That Can Affect Your Car Accident Claim

1. Recorded Statements can hurt your claim.

You should never give a recorded statement to the insurance company without being represented by an experienced Florida car accident attorney. The insurance company may try to use the recorded statement against you in order to reduce the value of your claim. Speak with an attorney to determine whether you are required to give a recorded statement. Additionally, you should have an attorney present to ensure that the insurance company does not try to manipulate your statement in a way that later may be used against you.

2. Insurance companies hope that you do not speak with an attorney.

Documents maintained by some insurance companies provide that insurance companies may adjust their settlement offers based upon the experience and reputation of the attorney. Typically, insurance companies will provide lowball offers to those who attempt to represent themselves. It is important to immediately retain an experienced Florida car accident attorney who can act quickly in notifying the insurance company that you are represented by counsel and start gathering the evidence to build your case. Additionally, your attorney should take the time to learn your case and learn about your injuries. When advocating for a client, you must be able to articulate the facts. If you are merely a file number to a large law firm, you may leave thousands of dollars on the table.

3. Tell your doctor about all of your injuries.

It is important that you are thorough in informing your doctor about all of your injuries and the pain that the injuries are causing. After a car accident, some clients fail to inform their doctor about soreness or stiffness that they are experiencing. These injuries may often worsen over time. If you fail to tell your doctor about the discomfort during the initial visit, the insurance company may try to argue that the injury occurred after the accident. Additionally, after an accident a patient may only be concerned with the major injuries and fail to tell the doctor about some of the other less severe injuries. Failing to inform your doctor about all of your injuries could adversely impact the value of your claim.

4. Tell your doctor about Pre-existing Conditions.

It is important that you inform your doctor about any pre-existing conditions. Many people are under the assumption that disclosing pre-existing conditions may hurt their claim. This is not true. Pre-existing conditions may actually help your claim. In Florida, there is what is commonly referred to as the eggshell doctrine, which provides that if you have a pre-existing condition at the time of the accident, which results in damages that are more serious and costly than they otherwise would have been, you are permitted to recover for all of your damages.

5. Always be honest with your doctors and car accident attorneys.

You should always be honest about your injuries and your pain. Never exaggerate or be dishonest when it comes to your accident claim. If you exaggerate your claim or if you are dishonest, you will hurt your credibility with a jury. If an insurance company discovers that you have been dishonest, they will proceed to trial and expose the dishonesty to a jury, which will ultimately hurt your claim.