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Blog

Personal Injury

• Firm Moves Case Out From Under Bankruptcy Stay
• Firm Settles Case on For Direct Selection of a Jury
• Driver and Pedestrians Urged to be Careful as City Expects First Snow
• City of New York Modifies 911 System for Snake Hill Road
• New York City Schools Get PCB Removal Offers from Private Firms

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News

• Police Report Shows Officer Was Speeding when Struck Pedestrian...
  Posted on 1/18/2012
• Brooklyn Woman with Broken Ankle Waits 30 Hours for Ambulance...
  Posted on 12/29/2010
• NY Insurers Argue Against No-Fault Reform...
  Posted on 6/24/2010
• NYC Police Target Motorists Who Use Cell Phones While Driving...
  Posted on 6/24/2010
• Toddler Suffers 2nd-degree Burns in Brooklyn Playground Accident...
  Posted on 6/24/2010

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Library

Personal Injury

• Injured at a Store in Staten Island, New York
• Injured While Riding a Bike in Staten Island, New York
• PCB Contamination Exposure in Staten Island, New York
• Injured in a Car Accident in Staten Island, New York
• Injured While Jogging in Staten Island, NY

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10 Myths that Can Wreck your Staten Island Accident Case Part 1

Myth #1: If I was in an accident, I should exaggerate my injuries. My friend’s brother told me that he knows a doctor and if I go to a lot of doctor’s appointments and miss a lot of work, I’ll get the best settlement.

• The Truth: Faking or exaggerating injuries is the best way to destroy your personal injury case. Insurance companies routinely employ private investigators who may videotape you going about your daily business. If you claim that you are on crutches three months after your car crash, and the private investigator films you bounding up your front steps, if you claim you’re in constant pain and the private investigator films you playing softball in the park, you can kiss any financial recovery goodbye. The insurance company will never settle with you for more than a fraction of what you might have gotten if you played it straight. If you have go to trial, jurors will see right through you and will punish fakers with defendant’s verdicts or very small financial awards. Never understate you’re the impact the injuries have had upon your life, but get back to work as soon as you safely can, and don’t exaggerate your injuries or you will wreck your case.

Myth #2: Any lawyer can handle my serious personal injury cases. The insurance companies always settle these cases anyway so I may as well use my friend who handled my divorce.

• The Truth: If you’ve been hurt because of the negligence of another person, you won’t obtain the money that you deserve unless you hire a lawyer who is experienced in handling serious personal injury cases. Proving who is at fault, understanding your injuries, conducting discovery, retaining the right experts and preparing your case for trial are very different skills from those used in legal matters unrelated to personal injury.

Myth #3: If someone from the insurance company of the party that hurt me calls me, I don’t need to be afraid to talk to him. If I talk to the adjuster, I will get my claim off to a good start and I will be able to get a good settlement. If I talk to the adjuster, I can make him understand that it was their insured that was at fault in causing the accident.

• The Truth: Never talk to a caller from the other party’s insurance company, except to tell them that you are represented by a lawyer and to call him, or tell the adjuster that you will be retaining an attorney. The insurance adjuster who is calling you is not on your side. The adjuster is trying to obtain some information that will help his company save money and not settle with you for the real value of your injuries.

Myth #4: I was in an accident prior to this one. I don’t have to tell my lawyer about it because I hurt a different part of my body in this accident. No one will ever know about it so why bring it up?

• The Truth: You and your lawyer are in the case together. Your lawyer needs to know about any previous injuries that you may have had. If you were treated at a hospital or with a doctor, the insurance company almost certainly knows about it. Insurance companies have a centralized computer system that keeps track of people who received insurance money to pay for medical treatment. Your attorney needs to know about any prior accident or injuries that you have sustained so he can be prepared when the insurance company brings it up.

                          

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this website is provided for general educational purposes only, should not be relied on as legal advice and does not serve to create an attorney client relationship. In utilizing this website you acknowledge that there is no attorney client relationship between you and Frank J. Dito, Esq. and that the information contained on this site does not and cannot serve as a replacement for the competent legal advice of a licensed attorney in your state. The content of this website is subject to the Copyright of its author, Frank J. Dito, Esq.