Did you get injured on a boat? Here’s what you need to do: read this article for guidance, then contact our Atlanta attorneys to get started.
Mistakes to Avoid After a Boat Accident
One thing that we often see that is harmful to a boat accident claim is that the people involved have failed to take steps to preserve evidence. Evidence can be lost very quickly, especially in boat accidents, and it’s essential to preserve any evidence that can be gathered related to the claim. If that evidence is not preserved, it’s very unlikely that we’ll ever be able to find it later on. It’s essential to make sure pictures are taken and any physical evidence is preserved, including clothing or other items on the boat that may show the extent of the impact and injuries.
Another thing that we see that harms these cases is clients who have waited too long to go seek medical attention. If you have been injured, go seek attention from medical professionals immediately. Make sure that your injuries are documented, even if they are minor injuries. Minor injuries often turn into major injuries, and it’s important to have them documented as soon as possible. Also, it’s extremely important to hire the right attorney and to do so quickly after the accident. If you hire an attorney who’s not experienced handling boating cases, you may lose evidence and you may not have your case preserved to the extent necessary to pursue it.
Choosing the Best Attorney For You
It’s important to make sure that you find an attorney who has experience with these types of claims. Boating accidents are not like motor vehicle accidents, and they require specialized knowledge and experience to handle properly and get good resolutions. We have handled many boating accident cases and have the experience to work these cases through to a good resolution for our clients. You don’t want someone who has only handled motor vehicle cases trying to figure out how to handle a boating accident case — that’s not going to lead to the best possible result.
Additionally, you want to make sure that you have an attorney who has experience with the insurance companies. I spent many years of my career working for insurance companies, and I know what they look for in a case. I can now take that specialized knowledge and apply it in my client’s favor in order to get the best possible settlement offers.
When you’re looking for a personal injury attorney to handle a boat accident claim, make sure that you find an attorney who has demonstrated that he or she will take cases all the way through to trial. Many attorneys won’t take a case to trial, and insurance companies know that. In return, those attorneys don’t get the best offers and don’t receive the best possible resolutions.
Giving a Recorded Statement
When a person is injured in a boating accident, they are often asked by the insurance company of the at-fault party to provide a recorded statement over what occurred. We are often asked whether it is a good idea to give this recorded statement, and the answer is always no. While you may think this is beneficial to your case, the exact opposite is generally true. The insurance company uses a trained claims examiner who will ask questions in a way that will lead to misleading answers, which will be detrimental to your case later on. Don’t ever give a recorded statement to an insurance company, especially when you don’t have an attorney present.
Minimal Medical Bills
When people come in to see us and they’ve been injured in a boating accident, one of the things they want to know is whether there’s a minimum amount of expenses they need to have incurred for medical treatment in order to sustain a viable personal injury claim. The answer is, no, there’s not. It’s more important to evaluate your case by looking at the injuries, specifically the permanency of the injuries, rather than just the medical expenses.
One of the things that needs to be evaluated is whether you have an injury that’s permanent, such as scarring or deformity. For example, scarring may not have a lot of medical expenses associated with it, but it can often have some extensive value. Conversely, you could have a lot of medical expenses, but have a claim where it’s unclear who is responsible for the incident, and those cases may have no value whatsoever. That’s why it is best to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney to determine how viable your claim is.
Were you or a loved seriously injured on a boat? Here’s what you need to do: contact our dedicated and experienced Atlanta boat accident lawyer at Gunnels Injury Law today to arrange a free confidential consultation and legal case evaluation.
Let our experience work for you.
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