Mistakes that can Reduce Your Personal Injury Claim

If you have been severely injured due to someone else’s negligence, you should file a personal injury claim immediately before the statute of limitations expires. The compensation from this claim can help you and your family cope with the financial burden associated with all the medical expenses for the treatment and lost wages due to missed workdays.

Getting treatment for any injury is most certainly not cheap, as the average cost of an ER visit is from $150 to $20,000, depending on the severity of the injuries incurred.

And while you’re at it, make sure you are aware of the common mistakes that can lower your chances of receiving the personal injury claim amount you deserve. Continue reading to learn about these mistakes in detail so that you can navigate these pitfalls carefully and increase the likelihood of receiving the claim amount that you’re entitled to receive.

Top Mistakes to Avoid When Filing a Personal Injury Claim

Failing to Call the Police

Some people don’t know that, just like they call an ambulance after an accident, they must call the police. That’s right; when you call 911 for an ambulance, ask them to send a law enforcement officer to report the scene. A police report made right after the accident serves as a vital piece of evidence in establishing your case against the at-fault party.

The Traffic Collision Report filed by the police officer contains valuable observations and witness statements that could help with your claim.

Not Seeking Immediate Medical Aid

Even if you have incurred minor injuries or don’t feel pain after the accident, we recommend seeking immediate medical aid and get yourself thoroughly diagnosed. Some people avoid going to the doctor, thinking that medical care is expensive. This is a huge mistake. If you don’t seek prompt medical aid after the accident, you could derail your claim.

Remember that due to the adrenaline rush, you may not feel the pain temporarily from the injuries incurred after the accident. However, after a few days, as the high amount of adrenaline decreases, you may feel pain in different parts of your body.

If you wait to report your injuries several days after the accident, it will put the insurance company in a strong position. As a result, the insurance company may refuse to pay you a full compensation amount by claiming that another accident caused your injuries.

Divulging Details of Your Case on Social Media

As social media has become an essential part of life, many people may talk about their accidents on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This is a risky move because whatever you say on social media can be used against you by the insurance company and the defense attorney to reduce your personal injury claim.

Even if your social media accounts are set private, they can find texts, pictures, and other material beneficial to their client. For instance, pictures of your recent activities or a smiling photo shared on social media after the accident can be used against you by the defense attorney or the insurance adjuster. They may use these to show that you aren’t as injured as you claim.

Signing Documents or Recording a Statement for the Insurance Company

Soon after the accident, you’re likely to be approached by a friendly insurance adjuster who may seem to be concerned about your injuries and health. However, the reality is that they are probably more interested in limiting their liability by persuading you to record statements or sign documents that they can later use to lower or even deny your compensation. Therefore, it is advisable to deal with them politely and ask them to speak with your personal injury attorney directly if they have any inquiries.

Do not record any statement or sign documents without consulting your attorney, no matter what they say to you. Let your attorney handle the case.

Failing to Follow Through With Your Medical Treatment

It is essential to understand that insurance companies are looking for a chance to minimize your personal injury claim amount. They are likely to deduct money if they find out that you didn’t follow through with the treatment. The gaps in the treatment, such as skipping doctor appointments or physical therapy, indicates to them that you’re completely healed and don’t need medical care.

We strongly recommend that you always follow your doctor’s advice and never miss your medical appointments or therapy sessions. If you stay committed to your treatment, it will show that you’re working hard to get better and require adequate care to recover from the injuries.

Not Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney

Since you’re already burdened with all the financial costs related to your medical treatment, the last thing you want is more expenses. Many people think of legal representation as an enormous expense. Thus, they prefer filing claims on their own. This overlooks the bigger picture. Dealing with insurance adjusters without legal help can be extremely difficult and, in some cases, downright impossible.

Without legal representation, your personal injury claim might be delayed, denied, or you may have to settle for a lower value than you deserve. However, if you have an attorney by your side, they will work hard to defend and protect your rights to help you fight for the compensation amount you deserve. The support and guidance of a litigator is a priceless asset. If you’re worried about legal expenses, then contact us.

At the Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor P.C., we offer legal services on a contingency basis. This means that you don’t pay a fee unless you’ve received your compensation. Our team of experienced and compassionate personal injury lawyers can handle all aspects of your case, from start to finish, and fight for the compensation you deserve.

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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