If you’ve been injured in an accident, the outcome of your settlement is unknown, and the next steps often feel overwhelming.
Like most personal injury victims, you’re looking for the best possible personal injury settlement. But before you can begin with the process, you need to contact a personal injury attorney who will help you understand your legal rights, prepare you for negotiations, and help you understand all the necessary steps.
Here’s how the right attorney can help you get the best settlement for your personal injury.
Understand Your Rights and Responsibilities
It is important to understand your rights as an injured party when seeking a personal injury settlement. You must know what you are entitled to receive from the other party responsible for your injuries and losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering damages.
It’s also essential to be aware of any applicable laws that may limit or affect your claim amount or ability to file suit against them in court if necessary.
Gather Evidence to Support Your Claim
Evidence plays a key role in every personal injury case, and without it, you don’t have a settlement.
To maximize your potential settlement amount, you must provide evidence that supports all aspects of your claim.
Your attorney may ask you to gather any relevant documentation, such as medical records detailing treatment received related to your injury, photos of property damage resulting from the incident (if applicable), and witness statements or testimony regarding events leading up to and after the incident occurred.
Other applicable and valuable evidence may include pay stubs reflecting lost wages due to any missed work days associated with recovering from or receiving treatment for your injuries.
Avoid Discussing Your Injury on Social Media
For many people, it’s second nature to share what’s going on in their life on social media. As tempting as it is to post pictures of your vehicle after an accident that caused your injury, keep this information offline.
Even if you don’t have an active settlement, any social media posts can be used against you during your case.
Calculate The Value Of Your Injury Claim
Once you have gathered all relevant evidence pertaining to your personal injury claim, it’s time to evaluate and calculate the value. Even though it’s helpful to have an amount in mind, take the time to account for all expenses.
Consider current and future medical costs related to treating your injury and any prescription medications or assistive equipment. If you were unable to work or receive wages because of your injury, it’s important to factor in lost wages when calculating the overall cost.
Some people overlook the importance of including emotional distress caused by the trauma of the event or accident which caused the injury. Even though it’s difficult to determine the value of pain and suffering or the emotional impact of an injury, it can play an important role in receiving the best settlement.
Prepare for Negotiations
Once you have prepared for negotiations by gathering evidence and documentation as well as calculating damages, it’s time to understand the process used by insurance companies when negotiating claims settlements.
It helps to practice speaking calmly about details surrounding the incident while avoiding emotional outbursts which could hurt rather than help when negotiating a favorable outcome in court or with an insurance adjuster directly involved in settling claims on behalf of their client(s).
Insurance companies often use tactics such as lowball offers or delays in payment processing. Your personal injury attorney will likely recommend that you don’t accept the first offer that’s given to you.
Final Thoughts
The process of settling a personal injury claim is often overwhelming if you try to handle it on your own. By being prepared and organizing all relevant documentation, as well as consulting an personal injury attorney, you can get the most out of your settlement and receive compensation you deserve.