Personal Injury Lawyer

If you’re waiting to receive a personal injury award settlement, it might seem simple enough to move something from one place to another. However, if you lift or move something large or heavy you risk sustaining another injury, or worsening your present injury. You also risk losing out on your settlement if you’re observed moving this object. It’s not unusual for insurance companies to hire private investigators to watch injury victims to see if they can “catch” them in doing something that will nullify the settlement agreement. Here are some tips to help protect you so that you can collect the personal injury award to which you are entitled.

1. Perception is everything. For example, if you’re carrying an empty box out to your car and an insurance company investigator is watching, they might snap a photo of you carrying a large box. If your settlement is for a back injury, they can argue you’re not injured and they have proof. If asked, “Were you carrying a box?” You would be lying if you said no and a judge may not allow you to answer anything other than yes or no. If it’s just a few light boxes, ask a friend or family member to take care of it for you. Otherwise, hire a moving company to move your items. They can even move items inside houses when the homeowner wants to rearrange their furnishings.
2. Err on the side of caution. When the body sustains a serious or painful injury, it’s natural for other areas of the body to compensate, or sometimes overcompensate. An example is, if you were in a car accident which resulted in a broken knee, carrying something large might overextend your back muscles. Asking for help is difficult for many people. A moving company is happy to help. Contact a company today for a free quote to find out how affordable these services are, and how they can help you avoid additional injuries.
3. Follow your doctor’s advice. If your doctor who treated your injury told you to not lift weight more than a certain number of pounds, heed their advice. Otherwise, you risk extending your recovery period or even worsening your injury. If you were to injury yourself by not following advice, there is a chance that the insurance company could claim that is the origin of your injury. That could let their client off the hook and you might not receive your settlement award. In addition, you would be responsible for paying for your medical and treatment costs. Call a moving company if you need to move something heavier than your doctor approved you to move.
4. Protect yourself. Depending on your location, and the time of year, conditions can be hazardous and require added caution in order to avoid additional injuries. For example, if you sustained a back injury in a car accident and your walkway is icy, you could slip and fall. That could result in worsening your condition because your body is already fragile. Using this same example, hire one of the best moving companies offers, have someone spread salt pellets on the walkway, and use spiked soles for your boots.