1. NEVER give a recorded statement to anyone.

2. NEVER give specifics…never. Unless you were staring at the speedometer, you don’t know exactly how fast you were going; you don’t know exactly how far away you were from the other car when they pulled out in front of you; you don’t know how many seconds passed between the time you saw the other vehicle and the moment of impact. Do not give a specific time, speed or distance numbers. Accidents happen in a flash…in an instant. People are watching the road, changing radio stations, chatting with friends. They are not measuring and recording each second. If you give a specific number then you have set yourself up as a stationary target. And a good defense lawyer will obliterate that target.

3. NEVER lose your cool. Not at the accident scene, not in the emergency room, not in your deposition and not in court. Everyone will be watching you and judging you. Do you act like a reasonable person? If you’re in pain then it’s ok to show it. But, don’t scream or get angry at the other driver, the police and the medics. Don’t say your pain level is a 9 or 10 unless you’re in horrific pain (broken bones, massive bleeding, serious spinal injury, etc.) We have seen cases fall apart because the police and EMTs think our clients were exaggerating or…honestly…just being jerks. Be calm, talk to the people calmly and respectfully. It’s good manners and it pays off in the end.

4. NEVER go on social media of any kind when your case is in litigation. Don’t post anything. Not even pictures of your aunt’s barbeque or your kid’s graduation (where you sat on a bleacher for 3 hours and smiled ear to ear for pics…but later claim you’re in too much pain to sit for more than 30 minutes). Maybe you were in horrible pain and it didn’t show. But you’ll have a lot of explaining to do when those pictures are posted. STAY OFF SOCIAL MEDIA COMPLETELY! AND DON’T LET FAMILY POST PICTURES WITH YOU IN THEM ON THEIR PAGES!!! The defense will find those too.

5. NEVER hire an attorney who hasn’t tried lots of these cases. Many claim they are experienced trial lawyers. Ask them to prove it to you. Ask how many cases they have tried. You wouldn’t let an inexperienced pilot land your plane; don’t let an inexperienced lawyer handle your case.

CALL THE LAW OFFICE OF KEITH SHORT, 618-254-0055 OR 655-9499. WE WILL GET YOU THROUGH THIS…WHATEVER “THIS” MIGHT BE.