Royal Palm Beach Personal Injury Lawyers
If you were hurt due to another person's negligence, you deserve aggressive and compassionate legal representation. The Royal Palm Beach personal injury lawyers at Donaldson & Weston will help you fight for a full financial recovery to pay for any medical bills, lost income, emotional distress, and other damages you have incurred due to your accident and injury.
During your free case assessment, one of our skilled accident attorneys will explain your legal rights and your options for pursuing compensation. We will not charge you any attorney fees unless we win your case.
Our Royal Palm Beach accident lawyers have recovered millions of dollars for clients throughout Florida. Call 561-299-3999 to schedule a free initial consultation.
During your free case assessment, one of our skilled accident attorneys will explain your legal rights and your options for pursuing compensation. We will not charge you any attorney fees unless we win your case.
Our Royal Palm Beach accident lawyers have recovered millions of dollars for clients throughout Florida. Call 561-299-3999 to schedule a free initial consultation.
Mistakes to Avoid During the Personal Injury Claims Process
After being severely injured, it is only natural to focus on your health and your family. You might be tempted to put off your consultation with an attorney, but doing so could be detrimental to your case. There are dozens of mistakes you could unknowingly make that would jeopardize your claim. The accident lawyers at Donaldson & Weston can help you understand and avoid those mistakes to give your case the best chance of resulting in a fair settlement.
Common errors and oversights you should be aware of include:
Common errors and oversights you should be aware of include:
- Postponing your medical treatment;
- Postponing your legal consultation;
- Discussing your case or posting photos of yourself on social media;
- Returning to work even though your doctor instructed you not to do so;
- Missing appointments with your doctor; or
- Providing the insurance adjuster with a recorded statement.
Types of Claims We Handle in Royal Palm Beach
If you need help with a personal injury case in Royal Palm Beach, contact our law firm for a free consultation. Below, we have listed the types of claims we most commonly handle:
We Will Make Sure the Insurance Company Treats You Fairly
You may have already received a phone call or email from the insurance adjuster or the defendant’s attorney. If you have not yet responded, DO NOT CONTACT THEM until you have spoken to your injury lawyer. Any statements you make during a recorded phone call or in an email can and probably will be used against you.
Regardless of how friendly, compassionate, or empathetic the claims adjuster seems, he or she ultimately represents the insurance company’s interests—not yours. A Martin County accident lawyer from Donaldson & Weston can handle correspondence with the insurance company and the defendant’s legal team to ensure you do not make any statements that might lead to a liability or damages dispute. We will make sure you are treated fairly by all opposing parties during every step of the proceedings.
Regardless of how friendly, compassionate, or empathetic the claims adjuster seems, he or she ultimately represents the insurance company’s interests—not yours. A Martin County accident lawyer from Donaldson & Weston can handle correspondence with the insurance company and the defendant’s legal team to ensure you do not make any statements that might lead to a liability or damages dispute. We will make sure you are treated fairly by all opposing parties during every step of the proceedings.
Tactics Insurance Adjusters use to Deny or Reduce the Value of Claims
At the end of the day, insurance adjusters and personal injury claimants have competing interests. No matter how strong your claim might seem, the adjuster ultimately represents the insurance company and therefore has incentive to find reasons to dispute liability or the value of your damages.
Insurance adjusters are skilled negotiators, but you can level the playing field by turning to Donaldson & Weston for representation. If you let us handle all correspondence with the opposing party, they won’t be able to manipulate you into jeopardizing your claim inadvertently or accepting an unfair settlement.
Below are just a few tactics insurance adjusters may use to deny or reduce the value of claims:
Insurance adjusters are skilled negotiators, but you can level the playing field by turning to Donaldson & Weston for representation. If you let us handle all correspondence with the opposing party, they won’t be able to manipulate you into jeopardizing your claim inadvertently or accepting an unfair settlement.
Below are just a few tactics insurance adjusters may use to deny or reduce the value of claims:
- Offering a Settlement Prematurely: It’s common for personal injury damages to increase with every passing day. When the injured party accepts a settlement, the insurer is essentially released from having to cover any damages that arise in the future. For this reason, it’s not uncommon for insurance adjusters to offer an early settlement. This is why attorneys often advise their clients to wait until they have reached maximum medical improvement to enter settlement negotiations.
- Prolonging the Proceedings: If a claimant is unwilling to accept a premature settlement, the insurer might take a different approach and attempt to drag out the proceedings. Insurance adjusters sometimes do this in the hopes that the injured party will accept a low settlement just to end the stress associated with falling behind on bills.
- Misrepresenting Recorded Statements: Even if your correspondence with the insurance adjuster seems to support your claim, you never know how your statements might be misrepresented. For this reason, you should let your attorney handle all dialogue with the insurer.
- Contesting the Existence or Severity of Injuries: Serious injuries are not always visible. Traumatic brain injuries, for example, may not even appear on diagnostic images. The less evidence you have to prove the existence and severity of your injury, the more likely the insurance company will be to dispute your claim. This is why it’s important to visit a doctor as soon as possible following an accident and to document how your injury is affecting your life. You should save all relevant medical records from day one and start a personal injury journal to record daily entries about your recovery.
- Shifting Fault to the Claimant: Since Florida follows a pure comparative negligence system, assigning a percentage of fault to the claimant may reduce the final payout. If you think you may have been partially at-fault for your injury, it’s critical that you hire an attorney who can take the necessary steps to minimize the percentage of fault assigned to you.
- Monitoring Social Media Accounts: When it comes to social media, personal injury claimants can’t be too careful. In fact, it’s best to avoid posting altogether as long as your case is pending. At the end of the day, there’s no way to predict how the insurance adjuster might interpret a status or photo and use it against you.
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