Injured in a Baltimore Accident? Missteps That Can Jeopardize Your Personal Injury Claim

Personal injuries in Baltimore can happen due to falls, car crashes, or other causes. When others are at fault, you have the right to hold them accountable. However, mistakes you unwittingly make in the days or weeks after an incident can jeopardize your rights to compensation.

Most people have never filed a personal injury claim before, and the process is more complicated than you might think. Our experienced Maryland personal injury lawyers explain common mistakes and missteps to watch out for.

Common Mistakes in Baltimore Personal Injury Claims That Give Insurers the Upper Hand

Baltimore accidents happen unexpectedly and can leave you suffering serious harm. In cases such as car crashes, dog bites, falls, or other injuries that occur on someone’s property, their insurance can help cover your medical care and other costs.

However, insurance companies are for-profit businesses that look for reasons to deny or dispute claims. Mistakes victims unknowingly make in the aftermath of an accident that give them an advantage:

• Making recorded statements before consulting a lawyer, providing information that the insurer can later use against you.
• Agreeing to a settlement before you uncover the full extent of your injuries and any long-term impacts.
• Delaying or skipping medical treatment after the accident gives insurers grounds to dispute the severity of your injuries or how they happened.
• Posting about the accident, your injuries, or your activities on social media, often the first place insurers look for evidence to use against you.
• Not reporting the accident to the police or other authorities at the scene means there’s no official record that establishes the basic facts of what happened.

When speaking to insurers, keep in mind they have one motive, which is to find information that allows them to deny or downplay your claim. To protect your rights, get an experienced Baltimore personal injury lawyer on your side.

Legal Missteps That Can Derail Your Baltimore Claim

In addition to common mistakes Baltimore injury victims make when dealing with insurers, legal missteps can also derail your case. These include:

• Not gathering evidence at the scene, such as photos, dashcam footage, and witness contact information, which becomes harder to obtain over time.
• Accepting part of the blame may bar you from getting compensation under Maryland’s contributory negligence rule.
• Missing Maryland’s three-year statute of limitations for filing a Baltimore personal injury claim.
• Settling a claim without accounting for ongoing medical care, lost earnings due to long-term disabilities, and other future costs.

You have one chance to get compensation for personal injuries in Baltimore. To avoid common mistakes that could jeopardize your claim, get professional legal help right away.

Contact Our Experienced Baltimore Personal Injury Lawyers Today

When personal injuries in Baltimore happen, victims are often in shock and may have little experience dealing with insurers. At Maryland Injury Lawyers, we act as a strong legal ally on your side, preventing mistakes that could jeopardize your claim.

To get the compensation you need to recover, contact our experienced Maryland personal injury lawyers and request a consultation today.

Sources:

insurance-research.org/news/study-finds-more-auto-injury-claimants-are-hiring-attorneys

mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcj&section=5-109