How a Criminal Record Can Affect a Personal Injury Case

Once you’ve been saddled with a criminal record, it seems to pop up at the worst time to impact your life in different ways. You may find that your criminal record is an issue when you go to file a personal injury claim. While you might hope that a non-related event in your past would have no effect on your injuries and your right to compensation, insurance companies will do a lot to avoid paying out a fair settlement.

If you’ve been injured by someone else’s negligence and you’re worried about pursuing compensation, let’s talk about your next step and make a plan. Call Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short at 334-821-3892.

Discrediting Your Claim

From the moment that the insurance company finds out about your injuries, they go into damage control mode. If it’s at all possible to discredit your claim—even if that means discrediting you personally—they’ll do so.

Unfortunately, some criminal charges make it easy for them to doubt your credibility or downplay the importance of your claim. In many cases, your charges might not relate at all to your claim. For example, if you have a DUI from five years ago and you’re pursuing compensation for a slip-and-fall accident, your DUI is unlikely to do much to hurt you.

However, there’s a small group of charges that can bring serious doubt to your claims. Consider crimes like fraud, forgery, embezzlement, and money laundering. All of these crimes may paint you as a person who has no trouble lying if it benefits them, which may lead the insurance company to wonder if you are defrauding them in pursuit of a quick payday.

Your Credibility is Under a Microscope

As the victim of an accident, it can feel insulting to realize that your morals are on trial. Unfortunately, it’s an unescapable part of the personal claim process. Insurance companies are incredibly profit-driven, and they will do just about everything they legally can to maximize their profits. They do this at the expense of victims’ financial and physical wellbeing.

This is why it is important to be careful with what you say and who you say it to. Don’t expect your words to be taken at face value. Unfortunately, insurance companies will pick through your statements to find anything they can use as an example of your untrustworthiness.

Let’s say that you told the police that the light changed several seconds before the other party ran through it. A couple days later, when you talk to the insurance company, you say that the light changed the moment before the other party ran through it. While the outcome is the same both ways—the other party ran the red light—the insurance company might point at this discrepancy and ask why you are changing your story.

How to Minimize the Impact of Your Criminal History

Do not make the mistake of trying to cover up your criminal history. Just don’t think that you can hide anything from insurance companies. If there’s something about you in the public record, they will find it and they will exploit it if at all possible.

Instead, contact a personal injury attorney. Be completely honest with them about the. accident, your injuries, and your criminal record. They’ll know whether or not your criminal record will be an issue during your claim. If it will be, they’ll know how to address your criminal record and preserve the integrity of your personal injury claim.

While it can be stressful to pursue a personal injury claim with your criminal history hanging over your head, please don’t let it keep you from pursuing the compensation you deserve. Accidents can be extremely expensive, and if you were injured because of someone else’s negligence, you shouldn’t be left shouldering the financial burden alone. Choose a trustworthy personal injury attorney and fight for what you deserve.

Contact Haygood, Cleveland, Pierce, Thompson & Short to Discuss Your Options Now

Hiring an attorney is the first step in your personal injury claim. If you’re worried about your criminal history derailing your claim and leaving you without any compensation, we’re here to help. Set up a consultation now by calling us at 334-821-3892 or contacting our team online.