While you may be confident in the merit and value of your Charlotte, North Carolina, personal injury claim, that doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to prove it easily. There are a number of different obstacles that you will have to face. You’ll need to be able to prove that your injury occurred the way you say it did. You’ll have to provide evidence of who was negligent and why. Then, you’ll have to show exactly how expensive your medical costs are, how much time you were out of work, and what kind of suffering and long term damage you may have experienced. And this is just the start.
You will also need to understand which laws and regulations apply to your specific kind of personal injury claim. For example, auto accident claims are much different than medical malpractice claims or product liability claims. In many personal injury claims, you’ll also be going up against an insurance company or a team of skilled lawyers who represent the negligent party.
Today, we’ll discuss some of these obstacles and how you can avoid running into road blocks when pursuing a Charlotte, North Carolina, personal injury claim.
Avoid Posting Information and Updates on Social Media or Blogs
In today’s world, one of the first things that many people do after anything significant happens in their lives is to update all of their friends, relatives, coworkers, former classmates, and associates by posting information and updates on Facebook or other social media accounts. In fact, there have been cases where people have updated their social network on the way to the hospital or before emergency medical help even arrives. Others will do so from their hospital room or as soon as they get home.
Many people don’t realize that everything they say on these platforms can be used as evidence. For this reason, you can avoid damaging your claim from the start by not sharing any information online. You can also ask those closest to you to avoid sharing information about your situation online, also. You may even want to completely disable your accounts to help you avoid the temptation to post and to prevent others from being able to tag you in posts that may be about you.
Be Careful About What You Say to the Insurance Company
Insurance companies are involved in a lot of different types of personal injury claim in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are often a part of an auto accident claim, a premises liability claim, a product liability claim, etc. You may be contacted by an auto insurance company, a homeowner’s insurance company, or the insurance company of a business. It all depends on how the injury occurred and who is identified as the negligent party. Yet, many people are quite surprised at how quickly they get a call from the insurance company. An insurance claims adjuster may contact you right away to discuss what happened and what the value of your claim might be. They typically make a point of sounding friendly and empathetic. You may feel that the person really has your best interests at heart.
The fact is that this is their job, and they are trained to make you think they are on your side. Their real goal is to convince you that you don’t have a claim or that your claim is worth much less than it actually is. They will try to get you to talk about what happened, about your physical condition, and about any other details that they may be able to use against you. They may even request that you provide a recorded statement about the incident. It is in your best interests to politely decline and to avoid discussing the case with the insurance company until you’ve spoken to an attorney. It is perfectly legal and acceptable to tell the insurance company that you are not yet prepared to provide a statement.
It Is Important to Have Legal Representation in a Charlotte, North Carolina, Personal Injury Claim
You don’t want to get lost in the process of pursuing a personal injury claim in Charlotte, North Carolina, while you are trying to focus on recovering from your injuries and finding some way to pay your bills. In some cases, you may not actually need an attorney to help you resolve your claim, but it doesn’t hurt to get some legal advice in a free consultation. The more severe your injury and damages, the more important it is to have skilled legal representation to ensure that you get the maximum amount of compensation that is owed to you.
When you have minor injuries, you may simply need to discuss the case and get a bit of advice from a personal injury lawyer. This will help you to understand what is expected of you and what you will need to prove your case. You can even get an idea of what your claim might really be worth, and what forms of evidence will be required. You may find out from that initial consultation that your claim is actually worth far more than you expected and far more than the insurance company is offering. If you have any doubts at all, then you can seek multiple free consultations from different attorneys to find out how each one would handle your case.
At the same time, you will want to make sure that you have a good rapport with any personal injury attorney you consider working with. You also need to discuss what different attorneys are going to charge and whether or not they work on a contingency fee basis. Most Charlotte, North Carolina, personal injury attorneys are going to work on a contingency fee basis, which means that they can only be paid if they are able to successfully recover compensation for your injuries.
Even so, choosing the wrong attorney can actually end up being another obstacle in your case. If you work with an attorney who doesn’t take your case seriously or who doesn’t work on a contingency fee rate, you may be in a worse position than when you started. Be sure to meet with any attorney you consider working with in person before making any agreements, and only work with a lawyer who is passionate about fighting for your best interests and who doesn’t make money unless you do.
The dedicated North Carolina personal injury attorneys at Ted A. Greve & Associates are here for you, and we’re happy to provide a free consultation to get you started in the right direction.
