Common Mistakes Made in Personal Injury Cases

After serving the greater Austin area for several years, our firm has helped, fought, and informed all of our clients about their legal rights and options after being involved in a motor vehicle crash. Through those experiences, our attorneys commonly see these mistakes when individuals become involved in a motor-vehicle accident:

1. Making a statement to an insurance company before seeking representation- Whether written or verbal, keep in mind that the primary goal of these insurance companies is to deny claims, and pay less than what a claim is worth. By giving companies a statement without the advice of counsel, you must realize that the insurance company is looking for anything in your statement to turn around and use against you. The purpose of these statements isn’t to help the status of your claim, but to increase their reasons for denying such claims.

2. Signing releases prematurely- Insurance companies require you to settle all property damage claims at once, and all liability claims at once. Before seeking treatment for potential injuries, insurance companies will attempt to pay you a certain amount for future medical bills regarding liability coverage. This may be a set amount of money, or the contract may state that they will pay up to a certain amount. Keep in mind, however, that signing a release like this would put you at a major disadvantage. With insurance paying liability claims only once, if your medical bills end up being greater than the amount they agreed to pay you, you can’t go back to the insurance company in an attempt to collect more money.

If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a motor vehicle accident, truck accident, bicycle accident, or motorcycle accident, please contact an experienced Austin personal injury attorney today.