Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Fatal Mistake #6 – Not Being Honest or Cooperating With Your Lawyer
This is an excerpt from the 7 Biggest Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Massachusetts Accident Case by Boston auto accident lawyer, Thomas M. Kiley.
1. Don’t try to hide past accidents.
Once you begin a case, the other side will be interested in knowing how many accidents you have had. The reality is that they probably already know the answer, or at least have easy access to that information. All insurance companies subscribe to databases that contain records of millions of accident claims, and often the only reason they ask you this question is to test your credibility.
If you have been in other accidents, your lawyer can make a determination as to whether this fact creates a problem in your case. But if you do not tell your lawyer the truth, and you try to misrepresent your accident history to the insurance company, it is almost guaranteed that you’ll lose your case.
2. Don’t try to hide past injuries.
It should go without saying that you need to be upfront and honest with your personal injury lawyer about any injuries that you sustained before or after this particular accident.
If you saw a doctor or other healthcare provider, there is a record of this accident that the insurance company will probably find. Your lawyer can deal with this if he or she knows about it. If you lie about it and the insurance company finds out, you will probably lose your case.
3. Don’t misrepresent your income.
In many cases, a claimant loses income because of the accident. You may only be able to claim that lost income if your past tax returns are correct. You don’t want to risk claiming a loss of income only to have your past tax returns not back up your claim.
Being honest with your attorney about your finances is essential, because he or she can deal with related issues if informed about them in advance.
4. Don’t misrepresent your activity level.
Insurance companies routinely hire private investigators to conduct videotape surveillance. If you claim that you cannot run, climb, or lift and you get caught on videotape running a marathon, you’re going to have problems with your claim. There is no good explanation that can override the eye of the camera.
5. Don’t change your address, telephone, or employment without notifying your attorney
Your lawyer must be able to locate you immediately if an important question or problem arises.
6. Don’t hide the truth about a criminal history or about drug or alcohol abuse.
Your lawyer can handle almost any problem if you are upfront about it. If your lawyer is “ambushed” by the insurance company with damaging information, he or she will have no time to prepare a defense.
7. Tell your lawyer about every doctor you see.
If you don’t give your lawyer this information, you may miss out on recovering for certain medical bills.
If you have sustained serious injury in a motor vehicle accident, contacting an experienced Boston car accident lawyer is in your best interest.
Call 1-888-208-1695 to receive a Free legal evaluation of your personal injury case.
Continue to Fatal Mistake #7 – Not Being Honest With the Insurance Company
