In the United States, there is a belief that many personal injury lawsuits are nothing more than lazy cash grabs. Our team here at Jones, Childers, Donaldson & Webb, PPLC, wants you to know that not only is this stereotype not true, but it is often spread deliberately to keep you from fighting for the compensation you deserve. Because there is so much misinformation about personal injury law floating around, our experts have put together an article dispelling some of the most pernicious myths.
- Myth: You can file whenever you’re ready. One myth surrounding personal injury law is that you can file a claim whenever you feel ready to do so. In reality, there are strict time limits (statutes of limitations) on personal injury claims, and you’ll need to file your case before that time runs out. Here in North Carolina, that time limit is three years, which gives you some wiggle room, but is definitely not an infinite grace period.
- Myth: You are guaranteed compensation. On the other side of the misinformation scale, there is also a myth that you are guaranteed to receive compensation for your personal injury claim. Unfortunately, this is not true. Even if you know for sure that you were injured because of the other party’s negligence, you will still need to prove that to the court to get the compensation you need. A lot of your success will come down to your lawyer, so we at Jones, Childers, Donaldson & Webb, PLLC, encourage you to seek out an expert with a proven track record in the field.
- Myth: You can trust your insurance company to have your back. Lastly, we at Jones, Childers, Donaldson & Webb, PLLC, want you to know that you should definitely not assume that your insurance company will represent your best interests. Insurance companies are typically more concerned with protecting their profit margins than they are with caring for their customers. This is one of the reasons that personal injury lawyers exist in the first place, as it’s our job to fight these corporations on your behalf to get you the compensation you deserve.