Dana Point Brain Injury Attorneys

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can derail your life in an instant, putting immense strain on your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. Our Dana Point brain injury attorneys have seen firsthand the extent to which these injuries can disrupt the lives of both the victims and their loved ones. If you or someone close to you was diagnosed with a brain injury, we can assess your claim for free and discuss your options for seeking damages. Unlike many other conditions, the effects of a TBI are often permanent. Fortunately, victims may be able to obtain a settlement for a range of damages, such as the projected healthcare costs, loss of future wages, and other expenses like childcare, home modifications, and alternative transportation. Our attorneys can help make sure your claim accounts for all recoverable damages. To set up a free consultation, call our 24-hour contact line at 1-800-GO-HARRIS.

Is It Safe to Use Social Media While My Claim Is Pending?

After suffering a traumatic brain injury, it’s normal to feel a mixture of emotions. You may be angry at the individual who hurt you, exhausted by the never-ending procedures and physical therapy, and anxious about how you will pay off your mounting medical debts. In trying times, we often turn to friends and family for emotional support and guidance. While these conversations can help you stay sane during this challenging chapter of your life, discussing the accident or your injuries online could compromise your personal injury claim. Many insurance companies have made monitoring social media activity part of their claims investigations. As such, anything you post could be used as evidence to challenge your claim, whether it’s an update about your recovery or a Google review of your local pharmacy. We may advise you to deactivate your social media profiles until your claim is resolved. However, we understand that for many of our clients this isn’t an option. Below are a few ways you can protect your case next time you hop online:

• Avoid “Check Ins”: Facebook gives you the option to check in at new locations. While it’s a convenient way to broadcast your activities to friends and family, these “check ins” won’t fly under the radar. If the insurance company is keeping tabs on your social media profiles, they may use this information to challenge your claim. For instance, if you check in at a local bar a few days after the accident, they may assert that your injuries can’t be as serious as your attorney is claiming.

• Don’t Accept Connection Requests from People You Don’t Recognize: In the digital age, every new friend or follow request is an opportunity to expand our professional networks. However, while your claim is pending, these online icebreakers could sink your claim. Rather than a potential recruiter or casual acquaintance, the insurance company might be behind this unexpected request. Once accepted, these individuals will have free rein to scour your feeds for any evidence that could be used to challenge your claim. As such, you should ignore new friend or follow requests until your case has concluded.

• Don’t Post Pictures Online: If a picture is worth a thousand words, your online snapshots could cost you thousands of dollars. Whether it’s a candid taken at home or a photo snapped at a party, uploading these images to social media could have devastating consequences for your claim. For instance, if the image shows you engaging in physical activity, the insurance company could argue that your injuries are not that serious. Such disputes could impact your financial award. Not only should you abstain from posting images for the duration of your case, but you should also request that friends and family don’t tag you in their own snapshots.

How Much Is My Brain Injury Case Worth?

If you’ve suffered a brain injury, it’s likely that your medical expenses are adding up at an alarming rate. The thought of falling deeper into debt and filing for bankruptcy is enough to keep anyone tossing and turning in bed at night. As such, It’s only natural to wonder how much your case is worth. Although we cannot approximate the potential value of your claim without investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident—and no attorney can guarantee a specific outcome regardless of the evidence available—it may help to take a look on some of the factors that could affect the potential recovery. Examples include:

• Healthcare Costs: The medical expenses associated with treating a traumatic brain injury can be exorbitant. As such, victims are entitled to seek compensation for not only the medical procedures they’ve already undergone, but also the healthcare interventions they may require in the future.

• Lost Earnings: If your brain injury prevented you from returning to work, these wages may be recoverable.

• Your Own Degree of Liability: If it’s determined that your own negligence contributed to your damages, your financial award may be reduced. For instance, if you intentionally acted against your doctor’s orders and this led to your condition worsening, the insurance company may assert that you are liable for the additional damages.

• Extent of Non-Economic Damages: Intangible losses such as loss of life enjoyment, mental anguish, and pain and suffering could form a substantial portion of the settlement or verdict in a TBI case.

• Whether You’ve Incurred Other Economic Damages: Objectively verifiable expenses such as childcare, hospital meals, home modifications, and transportation to and from doctor’s appointments and consultations may be recoverable.

Schedule a Free Case Assessment with a Dana Point Brain Injury Lawyer

You can reach our office 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You won’t pay a cent to speak to a member of our legal team and get the answers you need to make informed decisions about your case. Ring 1-800-GO-HARRIS or type up a message HERE to set up your free consultation.