Get an Injury Consultation Early!
It is shocking how many times we receive telephone calls from personal injury victims several months after their wreck. By then, serious damage has been done to their case and the insurance company for the defendant receives the benefit. Despite their gimmicky marketing, insurance companies are not friends to personal injury victims.
The biggest mistake most personal injury victims make is expecting fairness. Even when they accept liability, that does not mean that the insurance company will treat the injury victim fairly. In fact, most of the time without an attorney the exact opposite is true.
We Will Talk with You
Ferrell & Brown, and most other personal injury firms, offer free consultations. We will take the time to answer questions and give helpful information regardless of whether or not you are interested in hiring us or if we are interested in pursuing the case for you.
While each case is unique, taking 10 to 30 minutes to speak with a leading personal injury attorney about an insurance claim can make a big difference down the road.
Common Mistakes We See Injury Victims Making
Failure to document
If you’ve been in a car accident and suffered a major impact, photographs of the damage to your vehicle are often very important pieces of evidence if the case goes to trial. Often, the personal injury victim feels that the insurance company will take photographs and keep the photographs for them.
However, even your own insurance company can be adverse in many circumstances. Do not assume that you can access the photographs taken by an insurance company or that they will photograph what is beneficial to YOU. Many times, the adjuster will not take photos designed to be informative at trial unless the adjuster believes they will benefit their defense of the claim. We have seen adjusters take only photos of areas slightly damages when the car was totaled out.
Trying to Tough It Out
While it is generally commendable for someone to try to "tough it out", in personal injury litigation the opposite is true. Often, someone will wait weeks and even months before they understand that the injury is not going away and for the first time seek medical treatment. Unfortunately, this delay in getting medical plays directly into the hands of the insurance carrier. The adjuster will claim that the accident did not cause the injury or the injury was not serious, or - if so - the person would’ve waited so long to seek treatment. Additionally, the personal injury victim has made it much harder for their treating physician to give an opinion on the cause of the injury.
Expecting Fairness
Adjusters are not paid to be fair to the adverse claimant. In fact, most adjusters are actually employees of the company they represent. Money saved on a claim makes them look good and can often be tied to bonuses and promotions. Expecting fairness from an insurance adjuster almost always leaves the personal injury victim disappointed. Even experienced businesspeople are taken back by a friendly adjuster who indicated that they would “assume responsibility”. But once the subject turns to payment of money, it is usually then it becomes apparent to them that they need an experienced attorney.
SERIOUS INJURIES – REQUIRE SERIOUS ATTORNEYS
Our firm understands the repercussions of a serious accident. If you are injured due to another party’s negligence, you should not have to fight the uphill battle for compensation on your own. When you hire Ferrell & Brown, you are hiring a devoted, caring, and aggressive team who will tenaciously fight for you. If you or someone you know was injured in a wreck and wishes to schedule a consultation, please do not hesitate to contact Ferrell & Brown.
