There are two primary mistakes people make in injury cases that lead to a smaller recovery.
Not Seeking Medical Care & Follow Up
The first big mistake is failing to seek medical attention or to do recommended follow up care in order to properly document injuries. For example, if you had a soft tissue injury affecting your neck with 10 sessions of chiropractic care recommended but you only went once, do not expect the insurance company to compensate you as though you had a true injury.
The insurance company’s position is that, if you were truly injured and in pain, you would have found a way to get to medical treatment.
Getting Too Much Medical Care That Can Not Be Justified
The other problem we see is people “over-treating” on medical treatment. This “eats away” at possible insurance proceeds that could go in their pocket.
Instead of sticking to the recommended medical treatment schedule, the client will go get additional unnecessary tests or add additional treatment providers. Even when there is a higher insurance policy, such as $100,000, the client will use $50,000 in medical care when $25,000 would have likely covered it.
Since the client did not fully appreciate the concept of subrogation, they failed to appreciate that the medical expenses come out of the total settlement (there is “payback” to the providers). Hence, there is less money in the client’s pocket at the end of the day.
Mistakes Are Easily Made When An Insurance Company Is Against You
Don’t let these accident mistakes happen to you. So much of injury cases are counter-intuitive and it is easy to make a mistake when you are dealing with a massive insurance company on the other side. They make money by paying accident victims as little money as possible.
You need an advocate to help you navigate this complex and often sneaky ways in which you can be cheated out of what is owed to you.
If you want to avoid mistakes in your car accident case or other personal injury matter, give our office a call to discuss. We have office in Kitsap County and Thurston County for your convenience. If it is not a case we handle, we will do our best to get you pointed in the right direction. (360) 792-1000 or submit a request for a call.
