{"id":110506,"date":"2026-07-02T12:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/?p=110506"},"modified":"2026-07-03T00:57:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T00:57:52","slug":"mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/the-fine-print\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting Personal Injury Claims"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"dklaw-section dklaw-hero dklaw-hero__blog align wp-block-dklaw-hero-blog has-background has-primary-beige-background-color\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\"><div class=\"dklaw-breadcrumbs align wp-block-dklaw-breadcrumbs\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\">Home<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/the-fine-print\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims\/\" class=\"current\">Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting Personal Injury Claims<\/a><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n\t{\n\t  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t  \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t  \"itemListElement\": [\n\t\t  {\n\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t\t\t\t\"position\": 1,\n\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Home\",\n\t\t\t\t\"item\" : \"https:\/\/dklaw.com\"\n\t\t\t},{\n\t\t\t\t\"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t\t\t\t\"position\": 2,\n\t\t\t\t\"name\": \"Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting Personal Injury Claims\",\n\t\t\t\t\"item\" : \"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/the-fine-print\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims\/\"\n\t\t\t}\n\t  ]\n\t}\n\t<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting Personal Injury Claims<\/h1>\n\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-hero__blog-meta align wp-block-dklaw-hero-blog-meta\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"dklaw-taxonomies align wp-block-dklaw-taxonomies\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/learning-hub\/?_practice_area=personal-injury\" rel=\"nofollow\">Personal Injury<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/learning-hub\/?_topics=insurance-and-claims\" rel=\"nofollow\">Insurance &amp; Claims<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/learning-hub\/?_topics=know-your-rights\" rel=\"nofollow\">Know Your Rights<\/a> <\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-primary-gray-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">Reading Time: 10 Minutes<\/p>\n\n<\/div><span>July 2, 2026<\/span><span>Elvis Goren<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims.jpg\" alt=\"A person signing an insurance claim form on a wooden desk with a blue pen, representing the process of submitting a personal injury claim.\" class=\"wp-image-110509\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/dklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-submitting-personal-injury-claims-18x12.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-section dklaw-toc alignfull wp-block-dklaw-toc\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__sidebar align wp-block-dklaw-toc-sidebar\"><div class=\"dklaw-toc__sidebar-menu\"><h4 class=\"dklaw-toc__sidebar-toggle\">Jump To<\/h4><ul><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"dklaw-card align wp-block-dklaw-card has-background has-primary-black-background-color\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-primary-white-color has-text-color\">Every 4 minutes.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-primary-white-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\">On average, every 4 minutes someone picks up the phone and calls us for help. That kind of trust says everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-button-phone\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-primary-yellow-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"tel:8002010265\">800-201-0265<\/a><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__blocks align wp-block-dklaw-toc-blocks\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don&#8217;t post on Instagram. Don&#8217;t admit fault. Don&#8217;t skip the doctor. Don&#8217;t take the first check. You have probably heard all four, and all four are true. They are also the easy half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mistakes that actually cost California claimants real money are quieter. They happen on paper, in a form you sign without reading, in a deadline nobody mentioned, in a law that strips your pain and suffering before you file a single document. Those are the ones worth real attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First the fast version of the obvious stuff. Then the part that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-arrow-list\">\n<li>You generally have no legal obligation to give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver&#8217;s insurance company.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In California, an uninsured driver can lose the right to recover pain and suffering under Proposition 213, even when the crash was entirely someone else&#8217;s fault, unless the at-fault driver was convicted of DUI.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A broad medical records release lets an insurer dig through your entire health history looking for a pre-existing condition to blame.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deleting or deactivating social media after a crash can be treated as destroying evidence and can be used against you in front of a jury.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Claims against a city, county, or other government entity in California must be filed within six months, not two years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The obvious mistakes, fast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speeding through these because you have probably read them ten times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-arrow-list\">\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t give a recorded statement to the other driver&#8217;s insurer: <\/strong>You do not have to. Their adjuster is friendly, the request sounds routine, and the recording exists to lock you into words you will regret. Decline politely and route them to your attorney.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t accept the first offer: <\/strong>The number an adjuster opens with is a floor, not a fair value. The file usually carries an internal reserve well above that first call.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t put off treatment:<\/strong> A gap between the crash and your first doctor visit gives the insurer an argument that you were not really hurt. See someone early, and keep going.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t casually agree you were &#8220;a little&#8221; at fault:<\/strong> California uses<a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/the-fine-print\/what-if-im-partially-at-fault-for-a-car-accident-in-california\/\"> pure comparative negligence<\/a>, which means your recovery drops by your share of blame, so an offhand &#8220;I guess I wasn&#8217;t really watching&#8221; in a recorded call can shave thousands off the result. Describe what happened. Don&#8217;t volunteer a verdict on yourself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is the table-stakes list. Now the part that does the damage.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you were uninsured, Proposition 213 can erase your pain and suffering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the one that blindsides people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under<a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=3333.4.&amp;lawCode=CIV\"> California Civil Code section 3333.4<\/a>, a driver who was uninsured at the time of a crash cannot recover non-economic damages. Pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, disfigurement \u2013 all of it, gone, even if the other driver caused the entire wreck. Voters passed this as Proposition 213 in 1996, and it still holds in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your economic damages survive. What disappears is the often-larger category that pays for how the injury actually changed your life. The split looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-arrow-list\">\n<li><strong>Still recoverable:<\/strong> medical bills, lost wages, future care costs, property damage, and other out-of-pocket losses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Barred:<\/strong> pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and every other non-economic category.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a critical exception buried in the statute, and it can flip the entire outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-notice align wp-block-dklaw-notice has-background has-primary-beige-background-color\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The DUI exception<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the at-fault driver was convicted of DUI in connection with the crash, the bar lifts. Subdivision (c) says an uninsured person injured by a convicted drunk driver &#8220;shall not be barred from recovering non-economic losses.&#8221; The full claim comes back, but only if there is a conviction.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That last detail ties your civil claim to the criminal case in a way most people never anticipate. And if you were a passenger rather than the owner of the uninsured car, the bar may not reach you at all. The details are fact-specific, which is exactly why this is worth a real conversation rather than a guess.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Never sign the adjuster&#8217;s medical release<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Somewhere in the early paperwork, the insurer might hand you a medical authorization and present it as a formality. Sign here so we can process your claim. The form is usually written to give them access to your entire medical history, not just the records connected to this accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That distinction is the whole game. A broad release lets the adjuster pull every doctor visit, every old X-ray, every note going back years, hunting for anything they can point to and say your injury was already there. Old back complaint? Now your herniated disc is &#8220;degenerative.&#8221; Prior shoulder tweak? Suddenly the accident did nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California law does not actually support that move. Under the eggshell plaintiff doctrine, a defendant takes the victim as they find them.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-notice align wp-block-dklaw-notice has-background has-primary-beige-background-color\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the law actually says<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you had a pre-existing condition and the crash made it worse,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justia.com\/trials-litigation\/docs\/caci\/3900\/3927\/\"> the aggravation is fully compensable<\/a>. You do not get damages for a condition you already had, but you absolutely do for the way the defendant&#8217;s conduct worsened it.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A fragile neck that a careful person would have left alone does not become a free pass because someone rear-ended you. Pre-existing conditions are also just normal. Spinal degeneration shows up on imaging in a huge share of people who have no pain at all, rising steadily with age, which means &#8220;we found degeneration on your MRI&#8221; describes most adults walking around fine. It is not proof your accident was harmless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The fix is narrow:<\/strong> provide records tied to the body parts and conditions actually at issue. Not a lifetime skeleton key.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don&#8217;t delete or deactivate your social media<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The standard advice is to stop posting. Good advice. But people panic and go a step further, deleting old photos or deactivating accounts entirely, and that step is where they create a brand-new problem worse than the original one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once you are pursuing a claim, the content on your accounts is potential evidence.<a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/the-fine-print\/what-is-a-spoliation-letter\/\"> Destroying it is spoliation<\/a>. California does not let you sue someone in a separate lawsuit for destroying evidence; the Supreme Court closed that door in<a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/california\/supreme-court\/4th\/18\/1.html\"> Cedars-Sinai Medical Center v. Superior Court<\/a>, but the courtroom consequences are real, and they land on you.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-notice align wp-block-dklaw-notice has-background has-primary-beige-background-color\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The risk<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A judge can sanction you, and a jury can be told that if you destroyed evidence, they may assume it would have hurt your case. You delete a few harmless photos because you are anxious about how they look, and now the defense gets to suggest the worst possible thing those photos might have shown. A jury left guessing tends to guess worse than the truth.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So don&#8217;t scrub anything. Instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-arrow-list\">\n<li>Preserve everything already posted, even posts you wish you hadn&#8217;t made.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stop posting anything new until the claim resolves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lock down privacy settings, but do not delete accounts or content.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ask friends and family to hold off tagging you or posting about the accident.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deletion is the trap, not the safeguard.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Know your rights before the defense medical exam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At some point the defense may send you to a doctor for a medical examination, often called an &#8220;independent&#8221; exam, which is a generous word for a physician the other side is paying. The history-taking portion frequently turns into an informal second deposition, where casual questions are mined for admissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">California sets real limits on this, and most claimants have no idea they exist. Once a case is in litigation, the rules are specific:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-arrow-list\">\n<li><strong>Location.<\/strong> Under<a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CCP&amp;sectionNum=2032.220.\"> Code of Civil Procedure section 2032.220<\/a>, the exam has to take place within 75 miles of where you live.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>No painful procedures.<\/strong> The same section bars any test or procedure that is painful, protracted, or intrusive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You can bring a witness.<\/strong> Under<a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CCP&amp;sectionNum=2032.510.\"> section 2032.510<\/a>, your attorney or their representative may attend and observe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You can record it.<\/strong> That same section lets your side make an audio recording of anything said during the exam. Audio, to be precise, not video.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That recording matters. It keeps the examining doctor honest about what you said and what actually happened in the room, because the report that comes out later tends to read very differently from the appointment you remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A pre-lawsuit exam requested by an insurer runs on different rules, governed by your policy and the state&#8217;s fair claims regulations rather than the discovery statute. Either way, the lesson holds: do not walk in cold.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The settlement math that leaves people with nothing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is a back-end mistake that quietly wrecks otherwise solid outcomes. People focus entirely on the settlement number and never plan for who gets paid out of it. By the time the liens are settled, the &#8220;win&#8221; can evaporate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your health insurer or a medical provider paid for treatment, they often<a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/the-fine-print\/lien-on-settlement-proceeds-california-guide\/\"> have a right to reimbursement from your settlement<\/a>. California caps a private health plan&#8217;s lien at<a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=3040.&amp;lawCode=CIV\"> one-third of the settlement when you have an attorney<\/a>, and that lien gets reduced further for your share of fault and a proportional cut of your attorney&#8217;s fees. So the cap is real, but only if someone is enforcing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two traps live in here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-arrow-list\">\n<li><strong>MedPay reimbursement.<\/strong> Coverage from your own auto policy can carry a payback obligation, but it is contractual and limited by the<a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/california\/supreme-court\/4th\/47\/511.html\"> make-whole rule<\/a>, which generally says you have to be fully compensated before the insurer claws money back.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Self-funded ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) plans.<\/strong> If your health plan is self-funded through an employer, federal law can<a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/498\/52\/\"> override California&#8217;s lien caps entirely<\/a>, letting the plan demand full repayment with none of the state-law reductions. Whether it applies turns on how your specific plan is funded, which is worth checking early rather than discovering at the end.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the difference between a settlement that pays you and one that pays everyone but you.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If a government entity was involved, your deadline is six months<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two-year statute of limitations is the one everybody repeats. For most claims, it is right. But a separate deadline runs far shorter and is far easier to blow, and missing it usually ends the case before it starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When your claim is against a public entity, a city, a county, the state, a transit agency, a public hospital, or a government employee, you generally must file a formal administrative claim within<a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&amp;sectionNum=911.2\"> six months of the injury<\/a>. A crash with a city bus, injury from a dangerous road condition, a fall at a public building \u2013 all of it can fall under this rule.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-notice align wp-block-dklaw-notice has-background has-primary-beige-background-color\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Six-month deadline, not two years<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Miss that window and your path narrows to a late-claim application the entity can simply refuse. The two-year statute everyone talks about does not save you here.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the deadline to ask about immediately if anything public was involved.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-toc__block align wp-block-dklaw-toc-block\"><div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A short word on what to do instead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of this requires you to become a legal expert overnight. It requires you to slow down on the things that feel like formalities, the release, the recorded call, the friendly exam, and to ask one question before signing or saying anything: what does this actually do to my claim?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The insurer has a team that knows exactly what each of these moves is worth. Most injured people are figuring it out for the first time, while hurt, while stressed, while bills pile up. That asymmetry is the real reason claims come in low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you were hurt in an accident in California and any of this sounds like your situation,<a href=\"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/\"> talking to a personal injury attorney<\/a> early, before you sign the release or give the statement, is the cheapest insurance you can buy. The consultation costs nothing. The mistakes above can cost everything.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"dklaw-author align wp-block-dklaw-author has-text-color has-primary-black-color has-background has-tertiary-blue-background-color\"><div class=\"dklaw-author__block\"><div class=\"dklaw-author__image\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/dklaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/elvis-goren-dk-law.jpg);\"><\/div><div><p class=\"dklaw-author__block-about\">About the Author<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-heading-serif\">Elvis Goren<\/h4><h6><\/h6><p>Elvis Goren is the Organic Growth Manager at DK Law, bringing over a decade of content and SEO expertise from Silicon Valley startups to the legal industry. He champions a human-first approach to legal content, crafting fun and engaging resources that make complex injury law topics resonate with everyday readers while driving meaningful organic growth.<\/p>\n<div class=\"dklaw-author__social-icons\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ca.linkedin.com\/in\/elvisgoren\"><svg width=\"17\" height=\"17\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 17\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_5702_21335)\"><path d=\"M15.7416 0H1.25508C0.561133 0 0 0.547852 0 1.2252V15.7715C0 16.4488 0.561133 17 1.25508 17H15.7416C16.4355 17 17 16.4488 17 15.7748V1.2252C17 0.547852 16.4355 0 15.7416 0ZM5.04355 14.4865H2.52012V6.37168H5.04355V14.4865ZM3.78184 5.26602C2.97168 5.26602 2.31758 4.61191 2.31758 3.80508C2.31758 2.99824 2.97168 2.34414 3.78184 2.34414C4.58867 2.34414 5.24277 2.99824 5.24277 3.80508C5.24277 4.60859 4.58867 5.26602 3.78184 5.26602ZM14.4865 14.4865H11.9664V10.542C11.9664 9.60234 11.9498 8.39043 10.6549 8.39043C9.34336 8.39043 9.14414 9.41641 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Here are the most common ones and how to avoid them.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":110509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Mistakes to Avoid When Submitting Personal Injury Claims","_seopress_titles_desc":"Common California personal injury claim mistakes that quietly cost you, from Prop 213 to blanket medical releases, deleted social media, and short filing deadlines.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"practice_area":[123],"topics":[128,114],"class_list":["post-110506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","practice_area-personal-injury","topics-insurance-and-claims","topics-know-your-rights"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110506"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110506\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110526,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110506\/revisions\/110526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110506"},{"taxonomy":"practice_area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/practice_area?post=110506"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dklaw.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=110506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}