If you’ve been hurt by the negligence of another person, your accident related injuries could be very serious; and if they are the result of a distracted driver or even a drunk driver, it’s a good idea to find a personal injury lawyer to learn what kind of a case you can make. At the same time, you don’t want your case to be thrown out on suspicion of fraud. Since the courts and insurance companies are on the lookout for fake claims, it’s important to know the best way to present your case to show that you are accident related injuries are legitimate.
Types of Fraud
There are basically two types of fraud. One is known as soft fraud, and this takes place when a claimant exaggerates their injuries. Another form of soft fraud is when a claimant tries to say that a previous injury is actually one of their accident related injuries and so should be covered by another person’s insurance company.
Hard fraud takes place when two or more people actually stage an accident and give someone either a real or sometimes a feigned injury. In the case of soft fraud, if it is discovered the cases usually thrown out. In the case of hard fraud, this can result in both civil and criminal penalties.
How to Avoid Looking Like Fraud
You are suffering real accident related injuries. Don’t lose because you haven’t taken the necessary steps to establish the legitimacy of your claim. Here are some things you need to do:
Always Call the Police
Nothing looks more suspicious than a situation where no one called the police but then later someone tries to claim that they were badly injured. The police won’t usually come unless someone is hurt or the wreck is blocking traffic, but be sure to call them to establish the fact that your claim is legitimate and you have nothing to hide.
Take Notes
If possible, take notes about everything that happened at the scene of the accident and during the accident, especially while your memory is fresh. Again, if you never said anything about being hurt at the time of the accident but then later claim that you were injured, the courts will look on this with suspicion. If you suspect you have been injured, you should mention this as early as possible.
See a Doctor
Again, if you claim to be injured, you should certainly want a doctor to look at you. If you been injured in an accident, don’t wait to call for an ambulance or to go straight to the hospital. It is possible for certain soft tissue injuries not to manifest until several days later, and if that happens be sure to go seek medical help as soon as you notice the issue.
Be Careful What You Say
If you try to take someone to court, everything that you say at the time of the accident can be used for or against you in the court either by your own lawyer or by the other side’s lawyers. If you insist that you are not hurt or if you admit that you are at least partially at fault, often by saying something such as “I was going too fast,” know that this can make the courts suspicious later if you try to claim that the accident was entirely someone else’s fault and that you are suffering accident related injuries.
Get Eye Witness Testimony
The witness of people who saw the event can mean a lot in court. If you are physically able to do so, ask those around you if they would be willing to give their testimony about what happened. The most valuable witness comes from people who are not related to you and to just happened to be in the area when the accident occurred. If all your witnesses are your close relatives and friends, this is going to look very suspicious. The courts usually take the witness of passengers in a vehicle with a grain of salt, as well.
If you been injured in an accident, make sure you take these steps to ensure that your claim is not dismissed as fraud and you get the compensation you deserve.
