If you are considering filing a personal injury claim, you should prepare for some uncertainties. First, you may be worried about how to pay your medical bills if you cannot go to work and if you can recover your financial losses from your accident. Because of these concerns, you may feel like you have to get back to work even if you are not ready. But, this can only hurt your claim. Before you make such a decision, you need to see a Salem Oregon personal injury lawyer to understand what your legal options are and what you should avoid doing to maintain the strength of your claim.
You Need to Follow the Order of Your Treating Doctor
Right after an accident, you need to see a doctor first and get a medical evaluation. A lot of injuries can only be detected after diagnostic screening and when you don’t get treatment promptly, it can result in an undesirable outcome. Also, you should follow the directions of your doctor as you begin to heal.
Keep in mind that during this process, any medical documentation you get can also be accessed by the other party when you file a lawsuit. Thus, if you don’t follow the directions of your doctor, you could hurt your claim. For instance, if you were directed to be off from work for six months and you return to work after four weeks, you could jeopardize your claim. The insurance company of the liable party might say that you are taking the healing process lightly and that failing to mitigate your losses.
How Returning to Work Sooner than Ordered Can Affect Your Claim
As a victim of an accident caused by another party, you must prioritize healing and getting back to normal. If you go back to work even if you are not ready demonstrates that you are not willing to make a full recovery. The insurance company might argue that you want to drag out your healing to get more money from them. Unfortunately, this can prevent you from recovering any compensation when the insurance company can prove its claims.
Protecting Your Injury Claim
Hiring an attorney is the best decision you can make to protect your injury claim and fight for the compensation you deserve to get. It is not easy to fight an insurance company that has its own team of attorneys. You need a lawyer who will aggressively fight for your best interest. If you have a lawyer on your side, you can avoid harming your claim.
