Editorial Policy

Injury Victim Guide exists to help people navigate the complex, often overwhelming period after an accident or injury. We publish articles about personal injury law, insurance claims, settlement negotiation, finding qualified attorneys, and the broader process of accident recovery. We know that readers come to us at vulnerable moments—confused about what they’re owed, uncertain whether an insurance company’s offer is fair, worried they’re missing deadlines or making mistakes that will cost them money. Because the stakes are high and the decisions matter, we hold ourselves to rigorous editorial standards. This is Your Money or Your Life territory. Accuracy isn’t optional. It’s foundational to everything we do.

Our Editorial Team

Sarah Mitchell serves as Legal Research Editor. Sarah spent 12 years as a personal injury claims adjuster at a national insurance carrier, which gave her something many legal journalists don’t have: a behind-the-scenes understanding of how insurance companies actually evaluate claims, what documentation they prioritize, where claimants commonly go wrong, and how settlement decisions really get made. That wasn’t a desk job—she worked with claimants directly, reviewed medical records and repair estimates, negotiated with attorneys, and made recommendation calls that affected people’s financial futures.

After 12 years in that role, Sarah made a deliberate career shift toward consumer advocacy and education. She recognized that most injury victims have no idea how the system works from the inside, and that knowledge gap costs them money. She earned her certificate in consumer advocacy from the Institute for Consumer Advocates and spent three years as an outreach specialist for a state bar association’s public education division, creating materials to help accident victims understand their rights and recognize predatory legal practices. That combination—insider knowledge of how insurers work, plus formal training in consumer rights and legal education—shapes everything she edits at Injury Victim Guide. She isn’t a lawyer, and we’re clear about that distinction. But she knows the landscape better than most journalists covering this space.

Sarah’s role is to evaluate every article for factual accuracy, clarity, and applicability to real injury victims. She fact-checks claims, vets sources, identifies gaps in logic, and pushes back on anything that oversimplifies or misrepresents how the system actually works. She also maintains relationships with state bar associations, trial lawyer groups, and insurance regulatory agencies to stay informed about emerging legal developments and common victim mistakes she sees repeated.

How We Research

Every article on Injury Victim Guide starts with a research protocol. For a piece about how to evaluate a settlement offer, for example, research doesn’t begin with Google. It begins with primary sources: state statutes governing settlements, American Bar Association guidance on settlement evaluation, practitioner guidelines published by state trial lawyer associations, and Insurance Research Council data on typical settlement ranges by injury type and jurisdiction. We then consult secondary sources—law review articles, state bar bulletins, court self-help center materials—to understand how these rules actually play out in practice.

We distinguish between different types of sources based on their authority and relevance to our niche. Government agencies and official state resources carry the highest weight: state statutes, appellate court decisions, state insurance department bulletins, state bar association ethics opinions, and state court self-help center materials are primary sources we rely on heavily. If a reader in Florida needs to understand their state’s wrongful death statute, we cite Florida’s actual statute, not a secondary interpretation. We consult the American Bar Association’s consumer guides on settlement negotiation and dealing with adjusters, which are written for laypeople and grounded in legal standards, not marketing. We use NOLO’s legal reference library for plain-English explanations of legal concepts, paired with verification against actual statutes. We track Insurance Research Council data on claims outcomes and timing because they have no financial interest in how claims settle—they’re a research organization, not an industry player trying to suppress payouts.

Specific facts and figures undergo source verification that goes beyond accepting summaries. If we cite a statistic about how long the average personal injury claim takes to resolve, we don’t cite a blog post citing a study. We find and read the original study. We check the methodology, the sample size, the date of data collection, and whether the finding actually supports the claim we’re making. We also disclose the limitations—if the data is from 2019, we say so. If it applies to a specific region or injury type, we don’t present it as universal.

When sources conflict, we acknowledge the conflict directly. Personal injury law varies significantly by state, and sometimes two legitimate sources give different answers. When that happens, we present both perspectives and explain why the difference exists (different state laws, different court interpretations, evolving legal standards). We don’t cherry-pick the source that supports whatever narrative feels easier.

Source Standards

We rely on these types of sources because they meet our standards for authority, transparency, and lack of financial bias:

State statutes and appellate court decisions: Primary law. No interpretation layer. These are the actual rules.
State bar association materials: Ethics opinions, disciplinary case summaries, public education resources, and practice advisories. Bar associations have reputational interest in accuracy.
State insurance department guidance and bulletins: Insurance regulators publish guidance on what constitutes unfair claims practices, how claims timelines work, and what insurers are legally required to disclose. This is close to primary law.
State court self-help centers: Court-run educational materials designed to help people navigate their own legal matters. Written for non-lawyers, grounded in actual procedural rules and court decisions.
American Bar Association consumer guides and resources: The ABA publishes educational materials specifically for the public on settlement negotiation, finding attorneys, understanding damages, and recognizing legal fraud. These are written by attorneys but intended for non-lawyers, and they carry professional standards.
Insurance Research Council data and research reports: IRC publishes original research on claims processing, settlement outcomes, and claim timelines. They have no financial interest in whether claims settle high or low.
Published law review articles and academic research on personal injury law, settlement behavior, and claims processing, especially those that examine systematic data or court records.
Practice guidelines published by state trial lawyer associations: Organizations like the American Association for Justice and state plaintiff bar associations publish guidelines on evaluating cases and negotiating settlements. These represent practitioner experience and professional standards.

We do not rely on:

Press releases from insurance companies, legal marketing agencies, or attorney networks (these are promotional, not informational)
Blog posts or content marketing articles without clear sourcing or author credentials
Unverified anecdotes or single-case examples presented as if they represent typical outcomes
Sponsored research or studies funded by interested parties without clear disclosure of funding source
Secondhand reporting of statistics or studies (we verify against the original)
Outdated information about statutes or procedures that have changed

Accuracy and Fact-Checking

Every factual claim in every article undergoes verification before publication. This includes case timelines (“a personal injury claim typically takes 18-24 months to resolve”), damage amounts (“the average settlement for a soft-tissue injury ranges from $10,000 to $50,000 in most states”), and procedural requirements (“you have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit in California”). Each claim is traced to a source. If we say “most insurance companies require written notice of injury within 30 days,” we verify that against insurance code requirements and standard policy language, not against assumption.

Numbers and statistics receive special scrutiny. We note the year of the data, the jurisdiction it applies to, and the methodology if available. We compare multiple sources when possible—if the Insurance Research Council reports one average claim timeline and a law review article reports another, we investigate why before deciding which to cite or how to present both. When sources genuinely conflict, we acknowledge it. We’re transparent about statistical limitations. “In a recent study of 500 auto accident claims in California, the median settlement took 14 months” is more honest than “personal injury claims take about 14 months.” The first is specific and verifiable. The second overgeneralizes.

We also fact-check against common misconceptions and false claims that circulate in this space. The internet is full of misinformation about injury claims—myths about comparative negligence, misconceptions about what damages you can claim, confusion about filing deadlines, and misunderstandings about how insurance works. When we write about these topics, we check our facts against actual law, not against what claimants commonly believe.

Keeping Content Current

Personal injury law isn’t static. Statutes change, courts issue new rulings, insurance regulations shift, and settlement patterns evolve. We keep content current through an annual review cycle. Every article is assigned a “last reviewed” date, visible to readers. Once annually, Sarah reviews articles for accuracy and updates them if necessary—this includes checking whether referenced statutes are still current, whether legal standards have shifted, and whether the information still represents best practices in the field.

Beyond the annual cycle, we update immediately if a governing body issues new guidance that affects our content. When a state legislature passes a new tort reform law, when a state insurance department issues a bulletin about unfair claims practices, or when a court of appeals issues a major decision affecting injury claims, we evaluate which articles need immediate updates and prioritize those corrections. We also correct within 7 days if a reader or professional contacts us with a factual error we can verify—which leads to our next point.

Corrections Policy

If you notice an error or believe something in our content is inaccurate, please report it to us at injuryvictimguide.com/contact. Include the article title, the claim you believe is incorrect, and ideally a source that contradicts it. We investigate all reported errors within 48 hours. If we verify that a correction is warranted, we make the change within 7 days. For significant factual corrections—changes that substantially alter the meaning or accuracy of the article—we add a note in the article explaining what was corrected and when. Minor corrections like typo fixes or clarifying language don’t require a note, but major factual corrections do, because readers deserve to know that our understanding has changed.

Editorial Independence

We earn revenue through two channels: Amazon affiliate links (when we link to injury-related books, recovery aids, or legal reference materials readers might purchase) and display advertising on our website. Neither of these revenue streams influences what we recommend, what we write about, or how we evaluate claims. We don’t write articles designed to push affiliate sales. We don’t recommend products or services because they earn us commission. If an article mentions a particular recovery tool or legal reference book, it’s there because it genuinely serves readers, and we disclose the affiliate relationship when it exists.

We carry no sponsored content, no paid article placements, and no manufacturer-funded reviews. We don’t accept payment from law firms to feature them in our content, and we don’t write articles as covert marketing for services. Our articles are written for readers, not for promotional purposes. Editorial decisions—what we cover, how we cover it, what sources we trust—are made on the basis of research quality and relevance to injury victims, not on business relationships or revenue opportunities.

A Note on Professional Advice

The information on Injury Victim Guide is for educational purposes. It’s designed to help you understand how the personal injury claims process works, what your rights are, and what questions to ask. It is not professional legal advice, and it shouldn’t be treated as a substitute for consultation with a qualified attorney. Personal injury law is highly state-specific, and your situation is unique. For decisions about your specific claim—whether to accept a settlement offer, how much to demand, whether to file a lawsuit, how to handle communications with an insurance adjuster—consult a licensed attorney in your state. Many offer free initial consultations. If cost is a barrier, contact your state bar association about referral to low-cost legal clinics or your local legal aid office.

What We Don’t Do

We don’t provide legal advice about your specific situation. We explain how the system works in general. We don’t advise you on whether your particular claim is worth $X or whether you should accept a specific settlement offer.
We don’t recommend specific attorneys or law firms. We explain what to look for in an attorney, how to evaluate credentials, and where to find licensed practitioners. We don’t make personal recommendations, and we don’t evaluate specific firms’ competence.
We don’t calculate damages for your case. We explain what types of damages exist (medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, etc.) and general ranges based on published data. We don’t assess what your specific injuries are worth.
We don’t serve as a medical or rehabilitation resource. We explain the injury recovery process and what to expect, but we don’t diagnose injuries, recommend treatments, or advise on medical decision-making. Consult your physician for medical questions.
We don’t resolve disputes about specific claims. If you’re in conflict with your insurance company about a claim decision, we can explain your appeal options and what to expect. We can’t mediate the dispute or pressure your insurer on your behalf.
We don’t act as a legal aid organization. We provide education and information. For direct advocacy or representation in your claim, contact a licensed attorney or legal aid organization.

Last reviewed: January 2026. This page is updated whenever our editorial practices change.