On Behalf of Simon & Gilman, LLP | Nov 19, 2020 | Firm News |
People are likely to tell you many different things if you receive an injury. Friends, coworkers, family members, property owners, employers, insurance companies: These people and organizations all have different perspectives and, in some cases, conflicting motivations.
Your job is to protect your own best interests. Sometimes, that means casting reasonable doubt upon the statements of others.
1. Acquaintances
Everybody has an opinion — especially in New York. You might even have friends or family who have been through similar situations. We would urge you to ask yourself: Are the situations identical?
For example, even if you and a relative slipped and fell in the same location, you would have very different cases. There is virtually no chance that every significant factor was the same.
2. Employers
Another source of opinions would probably be your employer. This is typical in construction accident injury cases. The contractor or company for which you work will probably want you to follow their policies, even if those guidelines do not completely apply to your case — even if you might have recourse outside of that standard path.
3. Adversaries
Insurers and property owners are, by far, the largest sources of questionable guidance we encounter in our injury practice. Insurance adjusters, in particular, often present inadequate initial offers in a way that attempts to convince people to accept less than they deserve.
If you slip and fall on somebody’s property, they could be liable. It is usually safe to suspect any interaction you have with that person. The same is often true of insurance companies — they attempt to minimize the amount they have to pay.
To form a personal injury case, it is typically helpful to know the legal details of your situation and act completely in your own best interests. As you can see, none of these parties have these two essential elements of success.
Good intentions without knowledge — or vice versa — are likely to result in you receiving less compensation than you deserve. Your only trustworthy ally is yourself — and possibly those you hire to represent you.
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