Lake Forest Pedestrian Accident Attorneys

Were you injured by a negligent driver while on foot? Our pedestrian accident attorneys in Lake Forest have the experience, resources, and legal strategies to help you bring a claim for any medical bills and other damages you suffered as a result. You can reach us 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-GO-HARRIS. There’s no cost for the initial consultation.

What Mistakes Should I Avoid When Filing My Pedestrian Accident Claim?

You may not have been responsible for the accident, but there are still several ways you could harm your case. Here are a few oversights, errors, and missteps to avoid until your claim is resolved:

• Providing a Recorded Statement: It may seem like the claims adjuster is on your side, but this person ultimately represents the insurance provider. Simply put, he or she is incentivized to find reasons to dispute your claim and reduce the amount the insurer pays out. One strategy employed by insurers could be to ask for a recorded statement. It’s not uncommon for claims adjusters to coerce claimants into making statements that can be used to challenge their case.
• Ignoring Your Healthcare Provider’s Instructions: Lying in bed or being confined to the couch while everyone around you is enjoying life can be a tough pill to swallow. But if your doctor has instructed you to rest, you should never divert from the script. Going against their instructions could result in a dispute over failure to mitigate damages.
• Posting About Your Claim Online: Social media is an easy way to stay in touch with friends and family. However, it may not just be your loved ones reading your posts. It’s certainly not unheard of for investigators or claims adjusters to pore through claimants’ social media feeds, searching for any posts that could be used to dispute liability, causation, and damages. For instance, if you posted a photo of yourself at a party, the insurance company might use this image to assert that you failed to follow your doctor’s orders to rest.
• Delaying a Diagnosis: Putting off medical treatment after an accident can increase the chances of the insurer disputing the cause of your injuries or asserting that you failed to mitigate damages. As such, you should undergo an evaluation as soon as you have left the scene of the accident.

How Long Will My Case Take to Resolve?

The duration of a personal injury claim can vary drastically from one case to the next. While it’s impossible to determine with utmost certainty when your case may conclude, here are a few factors that could affect the timeline:

• Recovery Time: Some serious conditions, such as spinal cord injuries and brain trauma, can take months, if not years, to heal. It may not be a good idea to accept a settlement offer until you know the full costs of treating your injuries. As a result, the longer it takes for you to reach maximum medical improvement—the point at which your condition is unlikely to improve any further—the longer you may have to wait to recover compensation. While it’s tempting to accept the insurer’s first offer, agreeing to a settlement too early could lead to financial turmoil down the road.
• Strength of Your Evidence: In a personal injury case, you must have strong evidence to prove liability, causation, and damages. Any gaps could leave room for the insurance company to dispute your claim. While you may be able to collect some evidence by yourself, there might be evidence that is difficult to access. For instance, if surveillance cameras recorded footage of the accident, the owner may be reluctant to hand over these videos. Our Lake Forest pedestrian accident lawyers can assess your case and determine what evidence still needs to be collected. If necessary, we can file subpoenas to obtain hard-to-access documents, contact eyewitnesses, and arrange for expert witness deposition.
• Amount You Are Seeking: If you are not seeking a significant amount of compensation, the insurance company may be less inclined to dispute your claim. However, if you are pursuing a larger settlement, the claims adjuster could be incentivized to devote extra resources to find evidence that could be used to challenge your case. Our pedestrian accident attorneys in Lake Forest can help you counter disputes if they arise. If the insurance provider refuses to cooperate, our legal team will relish the opportunity to file a lawsuit and enter litigation if it is in your best interests to do so.

Set up a Free Case Review with a Lake Forest Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Our phone line is open around the clock, so if you need legal advice about your case, call us today at 1-800-GO-HARRIS. You can also reach us by sending a message on our Contact page.