Accident Compensation: How To Get The Best Settlement Amount

You want to make sure you’re doing everything to maximize your potential compensation when filing a personal injury claim. After all, getting the most out of the settlement won’t only help you cover medical expenses, but also any time you may already have lost at work.

It can be costly to be involved in a car accident, especially if you can’t return to work right away because of injuries. Negotiating car accident compensation, however, can be confusing. Once the process for the personal injury settlement negotiation in your case starts to heat up, you’ve got to have a well thought out and effective strategy in place.

Follow these tips so you can get the best settlement amount:

1. Decide On The Minimum Settlement Figure You’d Accept

Before speaking to an insurance adjuster regarding your demand, have a specific compensation amount in mind. The figure, of course, isn’t something you’d reveal to the adjuster. It’s for your own information. Figure out a range of the amount you believe your injury claim is worth. It helps to already have a bottom line in mind before the offers and counteroffers actually start going back and forth.

2. Hire A Lawyer

Whether you’ve been involved in a car or truck accident, hiring a lawyer from reputable law firms, like David Bryant Law, maximizes the chances of success of your claim. With in-depth knowledge in terms of how to present your case in the best possible way and the ability to effectively negotiate with insurance adjusters on your behalf, a car or truck accident attorney can give you advice on what courses of action to take. Hiring someone who knows the ins and outs of a personal injury case is usually in your best interests to increase your chances of recovering the amount you deserve. Theoretically, you could still negotiate on your own, but the guarantee of securing a higher settlement won’t be there.

3. Get Medical Treatment

Even if you’re not actually sure about the extent of injuries you got, you should get medical treatment. Carefully follow any recommendations from the doctor with regards to a treatment plan. If your physician recommends that you seek any necessary treatment and physical therapy for post-traumatic stress or flashbacks, among others, do it.

Getting medical treatment, of course, isn’t only for your own safety. It can also help you win your personal injury case and get a fair amount of compensation for your losses. You need a picture that accurately reflects your damages. That means seeing health care professionals, like doctors, so you could obtain documents of your injuries and treatment plan. Such records can encourage the other party to come to the table with you and offer a higher settlement.

4. Don’t Jump At Any First Offer

When a first offer is submitted, your response should depend on how reasonable or high it is. Some offers are reasonable but too low, while others are so low that they’re clearly just a tactic employed by the insurance adjuster to see if you really know what you’re doing.

Insurance adjusters have this standard practice of beginning negotiations by offering a very low amount first. They’re trying to find out your patience and whether or not you have an idea of the worth of your claim with this tactic. The best thing to do is to make a counteroffer if the offer from the adjuster is reasonable. Submit a counteroffer that’s a little bit lower than what’s indicated in your demand letter. Don’t be afraid to show that you’re willing to compromise and you, too, are being reasonable. Don’t bother going over all the facts again in these negotiations. Just emphasize that the insured is the one who’s completely at fault and other strongest points in your favor. A little bargaining should finalize everything and quickly get both parties to a settlement amount that’s fair for everyone involved.

5. Prepare Necessary Documents

From documents from your employer detailing time lost from work, damage quotes for your vehicle, to police reports, you need to have all the different proper documentation to support your compensation claim. Also, don’t forget to include an accurate, precise record of the medical expenses, as well as diagnoses and treatment options reported and recommended by your doctor, the reason why you have to follow the third tip in this post.

Talk to the insurance claim adjuster and ask them what exactly they will require from you. Organizing your documents, especially according to various classifications (medical, employment, automotive), won’t only speed up the claim process, but will also help you check each off as you obtain them.

An insurance company doesn’t want to pay any amount at all if they can avoid it. That being said, it’s essential to have as much necessary information as possible as you file your claim.

Conclusion

What you do after sustaining injury matters. Since there are things that you can do to maximize your claim, like the ones above, understanding what aspects of your case you can control goes a long way in helping you get the best settlement amount.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes