If you were involved in a car wreck or another personal injury that was caused by someone else, there are several things you must get in order to increase your personal injury settlement. Without further ado, let us check out the essential tips that can help you in a personal injury case.
Keep reading.
You Must Hire An Attorney
Of course, this one might sound a bit self-serving – but you cannot ignore the importance of hiring a personal injury attorney, such as the Prochaska, Howell & Prochaska attorneys, who have a fair share of experience in dealing with personal injury settlement cases. Now, many people who survive a car wreck and get injured – believe that they don’t need a legal representative as the accident isn’t their fault, and the judge or jury will understand that by default.
You should understand that you might not have to take your case to court at all – but dealing with the at-fault driver’s insurance company can be a real issue, and you cannot deal with the insurance company of your own. Without a lawyer by your side, the odds are stacked in the favor of the insurance company.
To gain an upper hand, you need an attorney by your side.
Do Not Settle Fast
If you are in a car wreck, you can expect several things to happen. You can expect the at-fault driver’s insurance company to reach out to you and help you settle fast. However, suppose you make the mistake of accepting whatever is coming your way. In that case, you will be putting yourself in the least favorable position, which also highlights the significance of contacting a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after the accident.
You can expect the insurance company to rush you into sending your medical bills and to offer you a minimum amount that ranges between $500 to $1000 as compensation for the damages, injuries, pain, and suffering.
Be Mindful of This Trick
If this is your first time getting into a crash, then this is also your first time dealing with an insurance company. You might feel compelled to accept their first offer, believing that this is the only compensation that you can expect. However, you must know that this is only a trick that the insurance adjusters play to get you to accept a minimum offer and close your file as soon as possible.
On that note, never make the mistake of accepting this first offer. Always talk to a personal injury attorney if you can. If, for some reason, talking to an attorney isn’t possible at that time – make sure to reject that first offer.
Get Your Own Insurance Company in the Loop
To potentially increase your personal injury settlement, the next sensible thing to do is to get your own insurance company in the loop. Ideally, you should file an insurance claim immediately – not only with the at-fault driver’s insurance company but also with your own insurance company. You must know that your case will be better served if you file a claim with your own insurance company, too.
Do Not Neglect Medical Care
If you were to ask us the most important thing of all that you must do to boost your personal injury settlement, it is essentially about never neglecting yourself and the medical care you need. Many people who get into a car wreck are more worried about the damages to their car instead of the damages they themselves sustained in the form of injuries.
It doesn’t matter whether you have to go to an emergency room or visit your doctor – getting treatment right away should be your number one priority. If you make the mistake of delaying medical attention, it will affect your personal injury settlement.
No Health Insurance?
Now, if you don’t have health insurance, we recommend talking to your personal injury attorney. Attorneys have a vast network, and they will definitely find you a doctor who will treat you even without health insurance. Of course, the doctor will want something from your settlement later – but at least you will get the much-needed treatment.
Get Treatment Until You Are Discharged
You must keep in mind that you want to make the most of your personal injury settlement, which is why you must keep following up with the doctor and also keep track of your symptoms until the doctor tells you that you have fully recovered. Again, it is worth mentioning here that if you delay treatment or don’t follow up with your doctor about your injuries or pain, you will only give the insurance company the ammunition they need to diminish your claim.
Watch Out for The Insurance Company’s Tricks
If this is your first time having been the victim of a car wreck, you must be prepared for all sorts of tricks from the insurance adjusters to delimit your recovery and compensation. You might be wondering how they can potentially do that. The thing is that the insurance adjusters can try to delimit your recovery based on any of the pre-existing health conditions that you might have.
It is quite normal to have health conditions that are unrelated to the accident itself, such as leg pain, back problems, and any other illness from the past.
Since there is no hiding from an insurance company, they will have access to your medical history. On that note, if you have a serious claim that is big enough, these insurance adjusters will try to link your injuries with your past medical bills, too. So, talk to your doctor and your lawyer so that you have a plan for how you want to deal with your pre-existing conditions.
Keep A Thorough Record of Everything
To increase your personal injury settlement, you must keep a record of everything. For instance, you must keep your prescriptions for painkillers. If you have been in a slip-and-fall accident, you must keep the shoes that you were wearing at the time of the accident. Also, it would help to maintain a record of the mileage book so you can refer to the miles that you drove to and from the appointments. Documentation is crucial because if it is not documented, you cannot prove it.
