A qualified personal injury lawyer can help you maximize your settlement. They can help you build your case, communicate on your behalf, and pursue a fair settlement. If you have been in a car accident, here are the most important ways to maximize your settlement.
Get Medical Treatment
If you feel there is any chance that you may have been injured after an accident, immediately seek medical attention. Medical records validate your injuries, and a lack of medical documentation can be used against you by insurance companies to reduce or deny your settlement. Be sure to attend all medical appointments and keep a record of your progress. If your accident occurred while you were performing your job, also contact Labor and Industries. (https://www.lni.wa.gov/)
Preserve Evidence
Collecting evidence is important to build a strong legal claim and maximize your settlement. This can include police reports, photos or video of the accident scene, photos of your injuries, eyewitness or victim statements, electronic records, or expert analysis. This evidence supports and validates your claim, and your attorney can follow up to establish negligence for the other party’s actions.
Avoid Making any Statements to the Insurance Company
It is not in your best interest to give a statement to the other driver’s insurance company. Insurance companies have extensive experience handling car accident settlements and have developed an array of strategies to protect their own profits. Following a serious crash, you should handle all correspondence with the other party’s insurance company through an attorney.
Hire an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer
If you were injured in a car accident that was not your fault or caused by the fault of a negligent driver, you have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit. With a skilled car accident lawyer by your side, the insurance company will take your claim far more seriously.
We know how to hold insurance companies accountable and ensure that our clients receive a full and fair settlement. If they fail to do so, we are always ready to take our clients’ cases to court.
We will protect your rights and expertly negotiate on your behalf with all parties involved until a fair agreement is reached.
Value Your Claim
Although it is extremely difficult to put a monetary value on the human condition of experiencing pain, Just because it is difficult does not mean that we should not do it. here are several different types of damages you may suffer because of your injuries. You can claim compensation for loss of regular use of body functions and even emotional damages. These are in addition to recovering your out-of-pocket losses. The types of compensation a victim can recover include medical expenses, car repair costs, rental car costs, lost wages due to inability to work, and pain and suffering.
Don’t Wait to File Your Case
After an injury occurs, you have time limits to file your case, don’t wait. Also, filing your case lets you begin to gather evidence formally and lets the other side know that you’re serious about getting a fair recovery.
Be Patient
While it’s natural to want to quickly resolve the claim and move on, rushing the process may lead to accepting a lower settlement. Insurers often try to take advantage of this by offering quick, but low-value settlements. Furthermore, once you settle your case, it is over. You will not be able to re-open it to get additional compensation if you discover additional injuries of which you were not aware when you settled your case. Being patient can yield a more favorable and larger settlement.
Stay off Social Media and Make A Good Impression
The phrase, ‘everything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law,’ also applies to what you say on social media. It’s always best to keep your accident, and all information concerning your accident, as quiet as possible.
The other side is going to make a settlement offer based on what they think a jury might do at trial, therefore, always try to be polite and respectful regardless of how frustrated you might be.
An Attorney Can Help you get the Settlement You Deserve
The Law Offices of Michael Clark can help you determine what needs to be done to help maximize your settlement and will help you build your case and communicate with the other side. If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident, CONTACT US Today!