Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been hurt in an accident caused by another party, you may be entitled to receive compensation for your losses, such as medical bills and lost wages. One of the next things you should do is discuss your case with an experienced personal injury lawyer. A lawyer will know the true value of your case and help you fight for fair compensation. However, in order for your personal injury lawyer to help you to the best of their ability, you have to be open and honest.

Here are a few things you must be honest about with your personal injury lawyer.

Pre-Existing Injuries

Some people are reluctant to mention any pre-existing injuries to their lawyer because they assume it will jeopardize their case. As a Santa Monica, CA personal injury lawyer who works with everything from dog bits to car crashes can confirm, having a pre-existing injury will not automatically disqualify you from getting compensation. If your most recent accident aggravated the old injury, you may still be eligible for compensation. If you try to hide your pre-existing injury however, and the insurance company finds out, it can hurt your case.

Partially Responsible for the Accident

If you were partially at-fault for the accident, it is important to let your lawyer know. Keep in mind that some states are comparative law states. That means that you can still receive compensation as long as you were not found to be 50% or more at-fault for the accident. However, your damages may be reduced. If you let your personal injury lawyer know ahead of time what part you played in the accident, they will have more time to work out the best strategy.

Criminal History

If you have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in the past, inform your personal injury lawyer. Insurance companies frequently conduct background checks on people who file personal injury claims in hopes of finding negative information about them. If you have convictions that reflect untrustworthiness, the defense may bring this up to discredit you. If your personal injury lawyer is aware of your criminal history from the beginning, he or she can prepare you for questions the other side may ask.

Prior Claims

Have you made other insurance claims in the past? If so, you need to tell your personal injury lawyer about them. Our friends at Cohen Legal will tell you that if you aren’t truthful about your previous claims, it could potentially hurt your current claim.

Divorce

If you are currently in the middle of a divorce, you should let your personal injury lawyer know. While the fact that you’re getting a divorce might not seem relevant to your personal injury case, it is. Your lawyer may not want your spouse to be part of the trial. If you and your spouse are not on good terms, there is a chance that he or she may speak poorly about you, which can jeopardize your case.

If you want to pursue a personal injury case, you should schedule a consultation with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.