When the insurance adjuster gets the file for a given claimant, that same adjuster looks at the claimant’s record. Has he or she been in other accidents? If so, did he or she submit a claim with the insurance company?

Actions that can counterbalance a record of previous injuries

Make a point of getting a physical on a regular basis. Make sure that your medical record lacks any mention of complaints, with regard to your latest physical. That should suggest that you were in good health at the time of the accident.

When you are being treated for an injury, learn when your doctor feels that you have recovered completely. Have that same physician include in your medical record mention of the fact that you have made a full recovery.

What to look for if you decide to retain a lawyer?

Find an attorney that stands ready to emphasize the specific aspects of the law. For instance, the law states that no defendant has the right to choose the identity of the person that he or she has injured by being careless and neglectful.

Look for an injury lawyer in Mississauga that has access to experts, especially medical experts. You do not want your lawyer to get blindsided by some claim that has come from the team defending the responsible driver. Such a team does not contain anyone with medical training.

What might happen if you ignore the above advice?

If you get the wrong lawyer, you might end up feeling like you were partly responsible for your injury. In the late 1980s, there was one team defending a driver that had rear-ended an automobile. The auto’s driver relied on the operation of a ventricular shunt, an implanted tube. That same tube was broken, following the accident.

The team supporting the defendant claimed that the injured driver should have been wearing 2 seat belts. The lazy attorney never sought out help from an expert. His client could have told him that no neurologist had ever suggested the use of 2 seat belts.

In fact, the neurologist had specified the sort of activities that his female patient should not pursue. He had told her not to take physical education classes at college. He had also told her not to dive, but to keep her head upright.

In other words, he had seen no danger in the act of sitting behind a steering wheel and driving a car. Later, a second neurologist echoed that neurologist’s opinion. That story highlights the value in hiring an attorney with access to a medical expert.

A good lawyer should advocate for his or her client. An effective advocate requires ready access to a wealth of useful information.