Hazards On The Road To Successful Recovery For Your Personal Injury Claim
Were you or a loved one seriously injured in an accident in the Spokane area and have questions about what mistakes to avoid in a personal injury claim? Make sure you hire an attorney immediately to help preserve your rights and walk you through this process. Don’t just hire a lawyer; hire the right lawyer – one that’s experienced and knows how to handle these cases. Following are a few hazards you may encounter on the road to successful recovery.
Hospital and Doctor Liens
Liens against your case can be created by payments made for your health care by car insurance companies, health insurance companies, Medicare, or Medicaid. For example, if your health insurance company pays a $2000 hospital bill, then that insurance company must be repaid when you settle your case. The precise repayment calculations may vary, but the important point is that liens must not be ignored. Your attorney should determine every lien that exists before recommending a settlement figure for your case. Often, in difficult cases, it is possible to negotiate the size of the lien.
Private Investigators
Insurance companies routinely hire investigators to spy on persons who file injury claims. The investigator may try to get videos of the injured person performing physically demanding tasks in an attempt to demonstrate that the injury is being faked. Of course, honesty is the best policy, and no one should ever exaggerate or lie about symptoms. However, sometimes seriously injured clients are so financially distressed that they force themselves to work even at the risk of more serious re-injury. Doing so can create the wrong impression that the client is not actually disabled.
Dishonest “Expert” Witnesses
Most attorneys, including those who work for insurance companies, are honorable people. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Sometimes unethical attorneys hire “expert witnesses” who will do or say anything for the right fee. A seasoned personal injury attorney will be constantly vigilant to make sure that dirty tricks by the defense do not torpedo a client’s case.
Your Personal Injury Claim and Social Media
You should never post anything about your case on any social media platform. Nor should you post information about your physical activities. Insurance companies now routinely search the social media posts of any person in order to obtain evidence against that person. For example, despite being seriously injured, you may feel well enough on one day to go water skiing. If a photo of you skiing is captured on social media, the insurance attorney will use that photo at trial in order to convince the jury that you are faking your injuries. Contact personal injury attorney James Bendell today for legal advice and representation. Bendell Law Firm also provides representation to clients charged with DUI.
