When you are filing a personal injury claim, you will get the best settlement when you have the clearest distinction of facts on your side. Your personal injury attorney wants to see “good facts” that will work for you, and not “bad facts” that could work against you. Experts at personal injury firms like Kuzyk Law deal exclusively with personal injury claims and say that 90 percent of cases are settled out of court. Among the many ways to get the best personal injury settlement are to listen to your lawyer, but here are a few more.
Tell Your Insurance Company You’ll Be Represented
Insurance companies in any settlement or claim process are going to want to settle with you right away. If there are a lot of personal injuries and/or damages, don’t take any settlement offers without first speaking to an attorney. It’s important that you talk to your insurance company right away. However, you want to tell them that you’ll be represented.
Don’t tell them that if you aren’t getting a lawyer, but tell them that if you plan on seeking a settlement for your personal injuries. The California Department of Insurance requires insurance companies to respond to your initial claim within 15 days. If you don’t already have a lawyer, this gives you plenty of time to get one.
Just the Facts
At the beginning of your claim, stick to just the facts. Report only facts to the California Highway Patrol, insurance, and legal assistance. This is an emotional situation that you are going through, but you don’t want to bring every second of pain and suffering into your initial claim. That will come later, and a good personal injury lawyer will help you determine how much you are owed for your suffering.
Make sure that you have preserved as much evidence as you can during this problem. If a jury gets involved, they want to see receipts, images, medical reports, police reports, and more. You’ll have a chance at a greater settlement when you have more facts on your side.
Take photos of everything, from the accident to your injuries to the people involved. Keep every record or document that comes your way in a file. When you are talking to people on the phone or by email about this, keep a contact log of whom you talked to, when you talked to them, what time of day you talked to them, how long the communication went, and what you talked about. It’s a little extra work that could make all the difference in settlements.
Don’t Take Settlement Offers Without Legal Advice
Insurance companies are eager to avoid expensive legal problems and expensive claims. However, they are more eager to avoid expensive claims because they will have their own team of lawyers to respond to yours.
One way they avoid expensive claims is by offering settlement offers as early as possible. This may not be what you deserve. Don’t accept any offers to settle without talking to a lawyer, because they will probably be able to get you more when they respond to the initial offer.
At the same time, don’t take any settlement offers from other parties involved in the case, like another driver or a medical professional. That feels weird, right? People do it to avoid court, jail, or expensive claims. Any offers that you get, from a professional or another party, should be brought to your lawyer’s attention immediately.
Build Your Case With Experts
When you are seeking a personal injury settlement, you aren’t going to get the best settlement on your own. Contact a lawyer who works on contingency, and you won’t have to pay upfront for your legal experts. Build your case with an expert, and you will be in exactly the right place to get the settlement and compensation you deserve.
