You many be surprised to hear this, but you play an important role in the success of your personal injury case. If you’ve been injured in an accident, you’ve likely secured the counsel of a Milwaukee personal injury attorney, but how do you make sure that your case ends favorable?
At Murphy & Prachthauser, we take our time with each client to explain the steps of a personal injury case or car accident case, and the importance of selecting the right personal injury law firm in Milwaukee who will work tirelessly on your behalf.
Here are 7 steps that can help you increase your personal injury settlement or car accident settlement:
- Have your primary care or family doctor serve as your source for all appropriate medical referrals. Some lawyers have their own doctors and clinics that they recommend, and we hear reports of shady practices, such as physical therapy clinics where equipment is broken or doctors’ appointments that last only a minute or two. These clinics bill your insurance at the same rate as legitimate health care providers, but the services they provide are only to enhance your legal case, rather than treat your injuries.
- Be honest with your medical providers. If you have some prior medical problems that were similar to the injuries you suffered in your work injury or car accident, you need to fully disclose those problems. Your credibility is an important part of any case, and if that goes, so does your case.
- Do not embellish or exaggerate your problems. The medical community commonly uses something known as a pain scale rating from 1-10, with one being almost no pain, and 10 being the most excruciating pain imaginable. People seem to think that rating their pain extremely high enhances their case, and that is not true. I have heard people respond 1,000 when asked about this 1-10 scale, and the only thing that indicates is that they exaggerate. If someone exaggerates about this item, the jury or judge many wonder if everything is exaggerated.
- Be truthful. I have heard people say that ‘I can’t do anything since the accident,’ and in most cases, this too is an exaggeration. With limited exceptions, there are probably not a lot of physical activities you could not do to some extent, although you may choose to avoid them. Present this type of testimony in a truthful way; be honest, but explain yourself clearly. For example: you avoid certain activities because pain makes them less enjoyable; you avoid certain activities because you fear your medical condition may worsen; or you avoid certain activities because you know you will be pain for the next few days as a result of your injuries.
- Follow the medical advice given by the health care providers. If you are in physical therapy treatment after a car accident or work injury, you are probably given homework or exercises to do at home. Make sure these are done to the best of your ability. The therapists can tell if a person is non-compliant. That hurts your treatment, and hurts your case.
- Do not let your legal case control your medical treatment. That is exactly the opposite of how it should work. All of your effort should be directed toward getting better medically. Follow the recommendations and referrals of your primary care doctor. When that happens, the legal case will fall in place.
- Refrain from posting anything on social media, or being tagged in photos posted by others. Things that you say or do will give the insurance company information that you may not want to be made public. Sometimes messages are meant to be private between friends because it may cause someone embarrassment or shame. You would not want that revealed in a court case. While we can fight to limit what is revealed, sometimes we are forced turn over more than we want by a court ruling. The best course is to not post anything, or let anyone post about you, until your legal claim is complete.
If you would like an opinion on your personal injury case, talk to our team of experts at Murphy & Prachthauser and let us help you improve your personal injury settlement.
At Murphy & Prachthauser we practice personal injury law the way it should be practiced – motivated and equipped to do our best for you. We take pride in being good lawyers who help people.
If you have a case you would like to speak to a lawyer about, please contact us to schedule a free consultation and get an experienced team of lawyers working on your behalf.