Learning How To Recover

Two Reasons Why It's Important To Be Honest About Your Personal Injury Case

8 February 2016 by Susie Torres

As the victim of an injury due to someone else's negligence, you may be eligible to file a personal injury claim. It's not uncommon to feel apprehensive about your chances of settlement or award in your personal injury case, especially in the early stages. Many people are tempted to alter their witness statements or omit information in the interest of improving their chances to win. Unfortunately, making a false statement or omitting important information can ultimately cost you any chance of financial settlement in your case. Here are a few things you should know about why you should tell your attorney the entire truth about the incident.

Your Case May Go To Court

While many personal injury cases are settled at the negotiating table before they ever see the inside of a courtroom, some cases will still be heard in court and in front of a jury. If this happens, you'll have to testify on the stand. This means testifying under oath. Making false statements at any stage of the process can call your integrity into question, but making false statements on the stand is perjury. In either case, even a seemingly innocent or "white lie" can cost you significantly in the eyes of the court and the insurance company that's evaluating your claim.

The Insurance Company May Hire an Investigator

Any time an insurance company adjuster suspects that there's more to your claim than you're letting on or you've overstated your injuries, they are likely to hire a private investigator. The investigator will likely follow you and observe your activities. He or she may even talk with your friends, family or coworkers about your habits, injury and recreational time. If you go to the gym, the investigator will likely document that as well.

Remember that anything you do in public could be monitored, so don't claim a restriction or injury that you don't actually have or try to stretch the severity of your problem. The first time you do something that's more demanding than your injury should allow, there's likely to be someone there to document it. Instead, be completely upfront with your attorney and provide your medical records. If you do something that you shouldn't, be sure to call your attorney right away. He or she will make a note of it and try to document any further injury or issue you suffer as a result. That way, if it's called into question later, you'll have information to support it.

With the information here, you can understand why it's in your best interest to be as honest as possible. After all, any issues that arise due to misinformation could cost you your case. Talk with an attorney like Greg S. Memovich today about what you can expect from your personal injury case.

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