Even seemingly “small” accidents or injuries can blossom into big, costly medical problems later. ANY ACCIDENT OR INJURY IS “SERIOUS BUSINESS.”
If you mishandle even one little detail of your injury case, you could LOSE ALL OF YOUR RIGHTS and wind up with little or even NO financial compensation or cost recovery. Regardless of the type of accident you were involved in or the injury you received, it is IMPORTANT for you to know your rights:
1. You may be entitled to payment or reimbursement for the health care required by your injury, rehabilitative care, and reimbursement for a variety of other costs, from a rental car to lost wages from time off work.
2. You may be entitled to substantial compensation over and above the actual costs just mentioned. You have the right to be paid for your “pain and suffering” and “loss of normal life.”
3. You do NOT have to do everything your insurance company tells you to do. You have rights on topics ranging from where you choose to get your car repaired to which doctors you treat with.
4. You cannot assume that your own insurance company is “on your side” when it comes to your injuries and damages.
5. The other party’s insurance company and/or lawyer are definitely NOT on your side. You must be extremely careful in dealing with the insurance representative. You are being evaluated at all times and prompted for information that the insurance representative may not be entitled to. What you must know is that everything you say can and will be used against you at a later time.
6. You have the absolute right to be represented by your own lawyer, and you do not need to agree to ANYTHING or sign ANYTHING until you have obtained a lawyer’s advice.
7. You have the right to be dealt with honestly and to be treated like a human being. You also have the right to know what is going on in your case at all times and to have everything explained to you in plain English, instead of mind-numbing legal terminology.