Protecting Your Interests After an Ohio Personal Injury

If you have been injured in an accident, it is imperative that you start protecting your interests after an Ohio personal injury. One of the first steps you can take is to start a file to document everything connected to your case. Keep every bill, police report, and document connected to your claim. The insurance company has a right to see evidence of medical bills for which you are seeking reimbursement.

Keeping track of your bills also ensures that you will not settle your claim without making sure you have been compensated for all of your expenditures. This is true even if you have health insurance because you may have to repay your provider for any bills they have paid on your behalf if there is a settlement.

Besides documenting your treatment, keep track of any wages you lost because you have been unable to work.

Do not assume you will automatically get reimbursed for your lost wages. You must get a note from your doctor if you miss work because of the injuries from the accident and you must get documentation from your employer about your rate of pay and how much money you lost because you were not able to work. Lastly, you should consult a skilled personal injury attorney can work tirelessly in an attempt to ensure that your rights and interests are protected.

Being Honest

It is important for the injured party to be honest when it comes to dealing with their injury claim. It is vital that they are honest with the insurance adjuster, their doctor, and their lawyer. Nothing is more detrimental to a person’s personal injury claim than being caught in a lie. Credibility is crucial in resolving a person’s case, particularly if they have to go to trial.

If someone is not in pain, they should not get unnecessary medical treatment to drive up their bills. That does not mean they should not follow their doctor’s orders, but they should not exaggerate the extent of their injuries. The truth eventually will come out, and when it does the case might become worthless.

If a person’s case goes to trial, their credibility with the jury carries tremendous value. If jurors feel that someone is not being honest, they will not give the plaintiff the fair compensation that they deserve. The injured party must also be straight with their lawyer, who might refuse a case if they think that the individual is lying. The attorney must know what is really happening with a person’s case to represent them fairly and aggressively.

Not Hiding Information

Not hiding information goes hand-in-hand with our advice about being honest. The injured party would be making a big mistake by hiding embarrassing information, or information that they think might harm their claim. The individual may get away with it at first, but the truth usually comes out. If the truth comes out at the wrong time in a deposition or a trial, the person’s case may be damaged beyond repair. An attorney can only help if they have the complete picture. Even if there is something awkward to discuss or deal with, a lawyer can handle it because it is better to disclose this information than to put an attorney in a difficult position by hiding information.

Not Exaggerating the Impact of the Injury

Often individuals are entering a world they likely did not know existed. Insurance companies prosper by paying accident victims as little as possible. To do that, they will resort to what many may regard as underhanded behavior.

They may hire a private investigator to spy on the plaintiff, they may have someone engage the injured party in conversation about their injuries, or they may videotape someone as they go about their day. They seem skeptical of everyone, even people with legitimate claims.

So, if someone exaggerates the extent of their injuries by doing something like hobbling around on crutches when they can walk just fine, and then they are filmed running a marathon, it could ruin their personal injury case. That is why it is important for individuals to take protecting their interests in an Ohio personal injury case, seriously.

Hiring an Experienced Ohio Personal Injury Attorney

One of the most important steps when protecting your interests in an Ohio personal injury case is hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer. Your attorney could deal with the insurance adjuster and help you navigate the complex world of personal injury litigation.

Armed with a knowledge of the law and the ploys of adjusters, an attorney can help you obtain a fair settlement for your case. Numerous studies have shown that you are far more likely to end up with more money at the end of a case if you hire a legal advocate rather than trying to settle on your own. By handling injury cases every day, lawyers may develop a sense of how much a case is worth.

You are not likely to have experience with the arguments you will hear from insurance adjusters. Hiring a lawyer lessens hassles you will face and allows you to focus on recovering from your injuries.