There are a number of things that you can do before you hire a lawyer that will severely damage your case. Some of the most common (and most painful) are:

We often see people who settled their case before they were finished treating for their injury. When they find out that the injury was worse than they thought they want to re-open their claim. Normally it’s too late. Once you settle you cannot go back for more.

We also have had some people who come in to get some help to recover their uninsured motorist coverage, but they settled with the insurance company of the other driver without a lawyer. Sometimes trying to save some lawyers fees is a serious mistake. Most uninsured motorist policies are not required to pay if you have settled with the insurance company of the driver who caused a collision because you have destroyed its subrogation rights. This is the case even if the company would not ordinarily exercise its right of subrogation. This can be very costly so you should always speak with a lawyer before settling any portion of the claim.

Believing people are trustworthy and wouldn’t mislead them, some people feel comfortable giving statements to the insurance company without retaining their own lawyer. Often they are too trusting. These statements can often create problems because they were given thoughtlessly or without knowing what is important to protect the injured person rights.

Insurance companies always want an injured person to sign an authorization to release medical records that has no limits. While the insurance company is usually allowed to get certain records, normally they may not get all of a person’s old medical records. We have seen irrelevant medical records that are sometimes twenty years old that create problems when the case is eventually presented.

See you regular family physician, not someone new for the injuries you received. Your family physician is normally more credible than someone who you see just for the accident.

There are other problems that can be difficult if not impossible to overcome, so it’s always best to contact a knowledgeable lawyer right from the beginning.