How a bad attitude can hurt your personal injury case
Posted in Accident & Injury on November 19, 2019
A personal injury client’s credibility and character have an underestimated impact on the value and outcome of their case. Tensions run high after serious accidents and the physical, emotional, and financial traumas can lead victims to say or do things they usually wouldn’t.
Treating people poorly in the aftermath of your accident can have severe consequences for your case. If you have been injured in an accident, it’s important to speak to a qualified Ohio car accident lawyer if you have been involved in an accident.
An Attitude Can Cost You
If a client tends to be rude, mean, or disrespectful to others, you can usually find evidence of this somewhere in their case. Judges, lawyers, and juries may notice signs of a client’s bad attitude or actions in the following places:
Police Reports: If the client was angry, mean, or argumentative at the scene of an accident, the officer or other people involved in the accident will often mention this in the police report or witness statement. For example, if the police officer mentions a motorist used profanity or inappropriate language with them at the scene, a jury may view the client in a negative light.
Medical Records: If the client mistreats a doctor, nurse, tech or other hospital employees, their medical records will reflect this. Hospital staff always make note of inappropriate or aggressive actions and comments to help warn coworkers about hostile patients. Again, juries will not respond well to this.
Social Media: Posts to your social media accounts and those of your friends or family members can become fair game during your case. You should assume the defense will be looking for posts, photos, and videos that make you seem confrontational or untrustworthy. A juror viewing this type of content may not see things from your point of view.
Whether you like it or not, your “likeability” factors into the outcome of your personal injury case. Juries don’t appreciate mean, rude, or disrespectful people. Always be mindful that your attitude and actions after an accident can make or break your case.
About Elk & Elk Attorney William J. Price
William J. Price focuses his practice on personal injury litigation for people who have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, defective products, negligence in construction sites, and trucking and auto accidents. He has been recognized by Super Lawyers, Martindale-Hubbell, AVVO, and is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Million Dollar Advocates Forum.