Ten things to keep in mind after you’ve suffered an injury
At our office, one thing we take pride in making sure our clients are as informed as possible about what to expect at every stage of their personal injury case. As you can imagine, when you’re injured, few things are more important than getting healthier, and poor communication from your attorney and stress are things you do not need in your life. It’s because our clients want clarity that we stress what our clients should do after suffering a personal injury, and (often times more strenuously) what they should NOT do after being injured. Let’s talk about ten useful tips to keep in mind if you’ve been injured and how not adhering to these tips can hurt your case.
1. Do not avoid seeking medical treatment.
Right after an accident, you might not realize you are hurt. Injuries like head trauma and soft tissue damage can go unnoticed at first but can turn out to be severe. The best way to minimize long-term effects is to seek an early medical evaluation and keep all follow-up appointments.
2. Do not delay medical treatment.
Even though it is normal for some injuries to worsen over time, insurance adjusters and juries often view delayed medical treatment suspiciously.
3. Do not ignore the treatment, therapeutic, dietary or other recommendations of your medical professionals.
4. NO social media of any kind.
Stay off of all social media after an injury. You should not allow anyone else to post about you or your injury. Do not delete your social media, but all social media activity should be ceased immediately after an injury. Anything you say about your accident on social media can come back to haunt you. Even seemingly unrelated posts like photos of you engaged in activities can be used to discredit your injury.
5. Avoid discussing your case with anyone other than your attorney or your medical provider.
6. Always difficulties you are experiencing that may impact your ability to comply with medical directives.
I.e. transportation issues, work conflicts, childcare conflicts, etc. Often times there are compromises available to you that allow you to work around life difficulties you may be experiencing that may impair your ability to comply with medical care such as car services, in home medical care, etc. Always inform your attorney if you are experiencing any issues that may impact your health or your case.
7. Assume you are being watched.
You may be under surveillance. It is not uncommon for Insurance companies and their lawyers to hire private investigators to tail you or watch your properties. Always be aware of your behavior and assume that you are being watched.
8. Avoid retraumatizing yourself.
When you’re injured, it is not uncommon to have not only physical symptoms from an incident, but also mental ones too. PTSD, nightmares, anxiety, and unforeseen mental trauma is a common consequence when you suffer an unexpected injury. That said, it’s important to avoid, if at all possible, retraumatizing yourself after an injury. Avoiding retraumatizing yourself is not only for your wellbeing, but also because it can be used against you in litigation.
9. Communicate all issues with your attorney.
10. If nothing else, remember the “News Rule”.
Early in my career I began advising my clients of the “news rule”. It’s quite simple really. The litigation process is adversarial and there are Insurance companies, their lawyers, and their agents that would love to dig up any and everything to reduce and or justify not giving you the money you deserve when you are injured. Enter the “news rule”. Just assume that for every action you take while your case is ongoing, whether big or small, that action would be covered on a news segment on your local news broadcast, and or published in the local newspaper. The test is whether you would want to explain that action in said newspaper or broadcast. If you wouldn’t want to explain the action, then don’t do it. Look, life happens, arguments happen, vacations happen, stuff happens. But would you want to explain going to Cancun for vacation when you allegedly suffered a bad back injury two weeks ago, and you’re on camera riding jet skis while also claiming you can’t work anymore? Would you want to explain why you sent that angry expletive ridden email to your boss when you quit your job, but that you want the jury to believe you’re really a nice person? Would you want to explain why you’re asking for a million dollars after Sam hit you with his car, but instead of going to get surgery you went on a cross-country road trip to Vegas for a bachelor party? Again, life happens, and we’re all human, but while your personal injury case is active, always consider the “news rule” and how there are people out there looking to turn your actions against you in an attempt to undermine your case or the severity of your injury.
TEXAS PERSONAL INJURY TRIAL LAWYER
A Texas personal injury and civil trial attorney understands the serious and complex ramifications of being injured due to the negligence of another. Retaining a good personal injury civil trial attorney is your best and first opportunity to build a robust case, offers your best chance of obtaining the financial compensation to make you whole, and is the best way to hold the negligent people and corporations accountable for the damages they have caused you. If you've experienced a personal injury or believe you have a civil case in Dallas, Texas or its surrounding counties, the Law Office of Alton James III is prepared to fight for you. We have dedicated our practice holding negligent people and greedy corporations accountable for their actions when they harm Texans. To set up a free consultation, and to see how we can fight for you, contact the Law Office of Alton James III today at 469.638.5571.
