Follow these Tips for Determining the Extent of Your Injuries and Protecting Your Legal Rights
When we speak with car accident victims, one of the first things they often ask is how much they can expect to recover for their injuries. While we cannot answer this question without learning the details of your specific case (nor can any other lawyer), there are other questions that we can answer that are critical to ensuring that you preserve your right to maximum compensation.
1. What is my auto accident case worth?
2. What mistakes do I need to avoid?
3. What if I have already talked to someone at the insurance company?
1. What is my auto accident case worth?
Determining how much you can expect to recover requires a thorough investigation and a critical assessment of a number of key issues. This includes things like:
- Your degree of fault in the accident (if any)
- The nature, extent, and duration of your injuries
- The total amount of your medical bills (both past and future)
- Your lost income and other economic and non-economic losses
- The permanency of your injuries and whether they will result in disfigurement, scarring, impairment, or disability
Other factors come into play as well. Everything from the presence of witnesses at the scene of the accident to your lawyer’s reputation for taking cases to trial can impact your financial recovery.
2. What mistakes do I need to avoid?
Having handled hundreds of cases, we have seen several unfortunate examples of car accident victims making mistakes that impacted their chances of obtaining a full financial recovery. While some of these mistakes can be overcome with skilled legal representation, it is better to avoid them altogether. These are the most common pitfalls to avoid:
- Not seeking medical attention immediately after an accident
- Failing to follow your doctor’s medical advice
- Talking to your doctor about your legal claim
- Forgetting to tell your doctor about past injuries
- Forgetting to tell your lawyer about past claims
- Giving a recorded statement to the insurance company
- Settling too early
- Waiting too long to hire an attorney
3. What if I have already talked to someone at the insurance company?
Insurance companies push their adjusters to obtain recorded statements, and adjusters will often use seemingly innocent conversation and loaded questions to try to get victims to say things that can be used against the accident victim later. Even saying things like you feel “alright” or “okay” can be used to try to say you were not really hurt. If you already gave a statement, avoid saying anything more and consider hiring an attorney to protect your claim.
Download The Maine Car Accident Book
For more information about the factors that will impact your car accident claim and mistakes you should avoid, we invite you to download The Maine Car Accident Book. This is a valuable resource that our attorneys have written in order to provide accident victims with the key information they need after suffering injuries in a collision.
Click here to download your free copy of The Maine Car Accident Book.
More Answers to Car Accident FAQs
- Auto Insurance – FAQs
- How Liens Can Affect Your Settlement – FAQs
- Contingency Fees and the Truth About Lawyer Advertising – FAQs
Contact Fales & Fales, P.A. about Your Maine Car Accident Claim
At Fales & Fales, P.A., we have over six decades of combined experience representing car accident victims in Maine. To receive a thorough case assessment and legal advice about your personal situation, we invite you to contact our Lewiston, ME law offices for a free consultation.
