Should I Tell My Erie Personal Injury Attorney About This Personal Information?

When you are injured in an accident, the accident claim process can be overwhelming. Working with an experienced Erie accident attorney can make the process less stressful. However, you must tell your attorney everything that could potentially impact your accident claim.

Below are several personal details that many people might not believe could impact an accident claim. However, this information could be extremely important, and it could hurt your chances of recovering full compensation if you fail to tell your attorney early in your case.

• Prior Accidents, Injuries, and Illnesses

If you were involved in a prior accident, even if you were not injured, it is important to tell your attorney immediately. Likewise, if you have a severe injury or illness in your medical history, you need to advise your attorney. The opposing party will attempt to dig into your medical history to find anything it can use to claim your current injury did not occur in the accident. It is best to advise your attorney as soon as possible so that he can begin working on a rebuttal.

• Bankruptcy Proceedings

An ongoing bankruptcy case could have an impact on your injury claim. Your attorney needs to know up front if you are in a bankruptcy case or you think you might need to file for bankruptcy relief before your accident claim is settled.

• Medicare or Medicaid

If you file your medical expenses from the accident under Medicare or Medicaid, your injury attorney needs to know this because it could impact how the settlement proceeds are disbursed. You do not want to receive money and spend it only to find out later that you owe thousands of dollars to the government for expenses paid by Medicare or Medicaid coverage.

• Unreported Income

If you are self-employed, it can be difficult to prove the amount of lost wages if you do not have detailed records and tax returns. While many people work off the books or under-the-table, this practice could have serious implications for your injury claim. Furthermore, you could face tax consequences if you are audited and unreported income is found in your injury claim. Discuss these issues with your injury attorney to determine the best way to proceed.

• Criminal Record

You might not believe a criminal record could impact your accident claim; however, insurance companies search for any information to use against you. If you go to trial, the attorney for the other party might try to use your criminal background to make you appear less trustworthy. It is best to let your accident attorney know about your criminal background in the beginning, so he can prepare to address this issue if needed. Because our law firm handles criminal defense cases, we are prepared to deal with this issue.

• Divorce

A pending divorce action could impact your accident claim in several ways. Your spouse could claim an interest in the settlement amount if he or she paid any of the expenses related to the injury. Your spouse could also be called as a witness by the other party. If your divorce is contested, this could be an issue if your spouse is bitter or angry. However, if your marital problems were a result of the accident, a pending divorce could be used to argue additional pain and suffering damages.

Erie Accident Attorneys Working to Protect You and Your Family

Our personal injury lawyers want to help you recover full compensation for your claim. We believe you are entitled to compensation for the losses, injuries, and damages caused by a negligent or reckless individual or company.

Contact The Travis Law Firm toll-free at (800) 401-2066 to schedule a free legal consultation with one of our attorneys.