Many car accident lawyers do not seem to learn from the mistakes of their peers, seeing that these mistakes are made over and over again. The best way to increase the value of your case is to get a car accident attorney who consciously avoids these weaknesses. The cleaner a case is presented, the better the settlement offer or verdict.
A good New York automobile accident lawyer should be able to do the following for you:
1. Personally take pictures of your to preserve photos of your vehicle, injuries and the scene of the accident. Obviously, the insurance companies seek photographic angles to minimize or eliminate property damage to the vehicles involved in an accident where the company has exposure.
2. Contact Witnesses Early. An experienced New York automobile accident lawyer is only too aware of how memories fade over time. A responsible one contacts witnesses while their memories are still fresh.
3. Locate health care providers ‘under the radar.’ Health care providers that have lawyer-referred patients are vulnerable on cross-examination. The defense attorney may choose to cross one of these doctors to dramatically affect the overall outcome of the case, even if the care and treatment to the patient were reasonable and appropriate.
Health care providers ‘under the radar’ may have more credibility with the cynical adjuster or district court judge who sees the same healthcare providers over and over again. Furthermore, the local practitioners are also a good referral source for new clients.
4. Go over your prior medical history and past claims history. A good defense attorney is able to uncover prior medical histories and claims that the opposing New York automobile accident lawyer was unaware of. There is no greater damning evidence than the existence of a prior medical condition or claim that was denied under oath by the Plaintiff.
5. Help you be prepared and organized. Before you answer interrogatories, give deposition testimony or take the stand, your car accident attorney must spend quality time going over the importance of being honest and accurate. The credibility and believability of a plaintiff is called into question before he or she ever takes the stand due to the current perceptions of the litigation process and the natural healthy skepticism juries have always had.
Before the trial, a responsible New York automobile accident lawyer reads through the entire file, even the records that may appear as duplicates of what you already have. When a defense attorney subpoenas records from your client’s healthcare providers, past employers and insurance companies, he or she is trying to dig up dirt. Your attorney ought to have read every page of what they get in response to those subpoenas; chances are they got more than you did when you sent your request.
Your attorney should be able to prepare you for the hard questions. He or she should know the defense lawyer’s case and try to take the sting out of it. Your New York automobile accident lawyer also should be able to address the weaknesses in your own case and provide explanations for them.
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