Three Things That Can Reduce Your Car Accident Settlement or Award
Indiana
law typically entitles auto accident victims to compensation
when the negligence of others results in injuries.
They can receive compensation for both economic and non-economic
losses. Car accident victims, for example, may recover
compensation for medical expenses, property damage, lost quality
of life, and physical and emotional pain and suffering, among
others.
While Indiana law may
legally entitle injured car accident victims to
compensation, they must still take certain steps to obtain it.
In addition, they must avoid a few things along the way that
can reduce the amount they ultimately receive. The following
details three of the most common pitfalls.
Social Media Posts
Many people today share pictures and status updates on social
media without giving them a second thought. As a car accident
victim, however, keep in mind that the at-fault driver's
insurance company can use the things you post on social media
as evidence against you. For example, if you suffer from
debilitating
neck pain that prevents you from working, but you post
pictures of yourself out with friends, an insurance company
could potentially use your posts as evidence that you are not
as injured as you claim-even if the medical record supports
your position.
Failing to Follow Your Doctor's Orders
Another way in which car accident victims can hurt their
financial recovery is by failing to follow doctor
recommendations for follow-up care. When an injury victim
ignores a doctor's orders, insurance companies can make the
argument that a victim's injuries are not as serious as
claimed-and reduce their settlement offers accordingly. As a
result, if your doctor prescribes pain medication or refers you
to physical therapy, for example, comply with your doctor's
orders even if you think that you can deal with the pain or
believe that your injuries will heal on their own.
Providing the Insurance Company With a Recorded
Statement
Insurance companies often pressure car accident victims to
provide recorded statements and may even imply that doing so is
in their best interests. Understand, however, that you are
under no legal obligation to provide a recorded statement and
that doing so is much more likely to hurt your case than help
it. Insurance companies request recorded statements hoping that
victims will say something that indicates that they were
partially (or even fully) responsible for the accident in which
they were involved, allowing them to reduce the amount they pay
out. For this reason, if a car accident injures you, politely
decline to provide a recorded statement and inform the
insurance company that you plan to retain legal representation.
Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain
Today for a Free Consultation
Indianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry Fountain is a
skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for an injury law
attorney to represent you in your car accident case in the
greater Indy area-Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield,
Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Lebanon-she's here to
help! Call her anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply
click
Tell Us About
Your Casefor a free consultation.
Call Indiana Personal Injury Attorney Merry Fountain Today for
a Free ConsultationIndianapolis personal injury lawyer Merry
Fountain is a skilled injury advocate. If you are looking for
an Injury Law Attorney in the greater Indy area; Indianapolis,
Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Avon,
Kokomo, Lebanon...we're here to help! You can call her anytime
at 1-888-242-HURT (4878), or simply click 'Tell Us About Your
Case' for a free consultation.
Contact:
Fountain Law Firm, P.C.
10401 N Meridian St #209
Indianapolis, IN 46290
Phone: 317-917-7873
Email: attorney@fountaininjurylaw.com