Never Exaggerate Damages.

The number one goal for every personal injury lawyer is to maximize a client’s settlement, but the one thing you should never do is exaggerate injuries or damages. Why? You must accurately portray your damages because other people have taken advantage of the system to recover more money than they are legally entitled. These people commit what’s referred to in the legal world as insurance fraud.

It’s Against the Law to Exaggerate Your Injuries

In what’s referred to as the duty to mitigate (or lessen) your damages, the law prohibits you from exaggerating injuries or damages sustained in a car accident. This means that, when making an insurance claim, you are obligated to be as honest as possible when disclosing your injuries or damages and should never exaggerate things.

There are many ways that people exaggerate in their personal injury claims, and here are some common examples:

Taking unnecessary time off from work
Claiming for a pre-existing medical condition that was not aggravated by your accident
Receiving too much treatment when it is not medically necessary
Claiming that unrelated business and personal losses were a result of the accident
Obtaining an unrealistically expensive estimate to fix your car’s property damage.

Not only could you face criminal charges for insurance fraud, lessening your damages also helps increase your trustworthiness in the eyes of the insurance company. When you deal with insurance companies in good faith, it shows that you are not taking advantage of them and helps your chances for a better personal injury settlement.

Call Us Now to Maximize Your Personal Injury Settlement

If the unfortunate happens and you do get into a car accident, the best thing you can do for yourself is to seek legal representation quickly. Experienced personal injury lawyers, like the ones at our San Diego personal injury law firm, will help you avoid the costly mistakes many people make when dealing with insurance companies.

You only get one settlement for personal injury. Don’t you think you should do everything in your power to maximize your personal injury settlement?

If you or a loved one were injured in an automobile accident you didn’t cause, then we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a FREE consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.

Most Recent Blog Post

[caption id="attachment_21715" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo Credit: The San Diego Union Tribune"][/caption] Last week, we reported on a car accident in San Diego that resulted out of alleged teen street racing. In new developments, the 18-year-old driver charged with the death of the two teenagers involved in the street racing has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter among four other charges according to reports at the San Diego Union Tribune. The news follows the earlier arrest of another 16-year-old driver that was taken into custody on similar charges. Just shortly after his arraignment, Michael Johnson, the 18-year-old driver of a Volvo S40, said, according to his attorney, that he is not the responsible party in the tragic San Diego accident fatalities that occurred April 4. Accident reports indicate that Johnson was returning from a spring break beach party in La Jolla when he was allegedly involved in a street racing contest with another teen driver – the unidentified 16-year-old driver of a Volkswagen Passat whose name has not been released since he is a minor. According to Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler, the two vehicles were zigzagging across lanes at speeds reaching up to a staggering 100 m.p.h. The 16-year-old driver in the Passat lost control over the vehicle, causing the car to flip over several times across multiple lanes of the road. Two passengers, Anthony Foreman, 18, and Jayli Campbell, 16, were thrown from the Passat and died at the scene of the accident. Two passengers survived the crash. Charlotte McQuillen, survived the accident although she suffered serious injury as a result of the collision including reports that say the teen will have to recover from traumatic brain injury. Anthoney Taylor, 16, also survived the crash although his injuries are unclear at this time. Johnson did not flee the scene of the accident according to police reports and cooperated with authorities once officers assessed the scene of the collision. The teen has no prior criminal record, although authorities say his vehicle was found containing a small amount of marijuana. Johnson is being charged with intoxicated driving, although his lawyer says there were no field sobriety tests to confirm the teen’s alleged intoxication. Teen driving: reminders for concerned parents Last week, we blogged on actions parents can take to prevent teen car accidents. Tips include:

Sign a parent-teen contract. Download your free contract now.
Enforcing the rules. Every teen driver needs to know that rules are there for a purpose, and when they are broken, consequences will follow.
Have a DUI backup plan. As most parents can attest, there are many instances when teen drivers run into problems that supersede their know-how and maturity. Drinking is one of those problems. In cases of emergency, your teen should have an open-door policy where they feel safe to call you when they need help – such in the case of drunk driving or driving while intoxicated.

About the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC The Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC are specialists in car accident injury. Every personal injury attorney in our San Diego office works hard to seek maximum recovery for every injured client. Your case is handled without any out-of-pocket costs, so do not hesitate to speak to a San Diego personal injury lawyer today for a free legal evaluation. Call us at 1-800-655-6585.