Don’t Believe These Common Personal Injury Myths

Sadly, we live in an age of disinformation where sometimes true, sometimes not true, facts and information can easily be passed to each other online. That has led to a lot of myths, and falsehoods being passed around, related to injury cases.

Here are some very common myths about personal injury law and cases, that many people believe and which are not necessarily true.

There’s a set value for your injuries – Many people believe that there is some book or chart or calculator that will tell you what a bad back or burn or broken bone or paralysis “is worth.” But that’s not true. The value of your case is ultimately up to factors like the jury, the judge, where the case is being heard, and a lot of other factors.

That means that 10 cases, all with the exact same injury, can yield different verdict amounts. It also means that just because one person received a certain dollar amount for an injury case, doesn’t reflect on whether someone else will, no matter how similar their injuries or cases are.

It’s easy to win money – Many people think that just because they have a bad injury, it will be easy to run to court and get money. But that’s not how it works. The Defendant will try to blame you for your own injuries, or say that your injuries aren’t caused by the accident, or say that you don’t have a legal right to sue.

When you are in trial, you may face a jury that is skeptical of injury victims, or of the personal injury system. The Defendant will have doctors and experts there to challenge your injuries as well.

The bottom line is that no matter how “easy” the case looks, personal injury law is not easy money, and defendants and insurance companies are there to deny you compensation—not give it to you.

Whoever you sue, will owe you money – That isn’t always the case, because of insurance. In many cases, people, and businesses, have insurance. The insurance company will not only pay whatever they owe to you, but will also provide them with their own attorney. So while no person or business loves being sued, you aren’t taking food out of someone’s mouths, by suing them for compensation for your injuries.

You have to have a serious injury – certainly, the compensation you receive will largely depend on the severity of your injury. But don’t think that you have to be permanently disfigured or forever disabled, to sue for losses after an accident. You don’t.

Your insurance will pay for everything – While your insurance does pay for many things after an accident, it’s not there to pay you for all of your losses. Don’t assume that you don’t have to sue anybody because your insurance will take care of everything. It does not and will not.

Many losses that are caused by a negligent defendant can only be paid for by that defendant’s liability insurance coverage, or in some cases, if you have it, by your own uninsured motorist coverage.

Contact our Rhode Island injury lawyers at Robert E. Craven & Associates at 401-453-2700 to get the truth about your injury case.

Sources:

americanspcc.org/what-are-the-most-common-challenges-victims-face-in-a-personal-injury-claim-in-nj/

progressive.com/answers/liability-insurance/