Actions You Can Take To Maximize Your Personal Injury Claim Settlement
Posted on: 15 June 2017
If you were seriously injured in an automobile accident and the insurance agency has given you a low-ball settlement figure, there are several actions you should take to maximize your settlement, including each of the following:
Prepare an Official Demand Letter and Mail it Certified Mail to the Insurance Company
If you need to hire an attorney to settle your personal injury case, then one of the first things they will do is send the insurance company a demand letter that outlines the settlement they believe is reasonable based on your damages. If you are trying to settle your case without an attorney, then you should send a demand letter yourself. To do so, you need to outline each of your damages and provide the insurance company with all of your supporting documents, including:
- photos of the accident scene
- contact information for all witnesses
- a copy of the police report
- copies of all of your medical bills
- estimates to repair your car's damage
In addition, if you have been unable to work due to the injuries sustained in your accident, then you should also provide proof of your hourly income and an accounting of all of the time you have missed work. If you believe you will have future medical bills, more missed days of work, or other costs associated with the accident, you should outline those as well.
Once your letter is complete, mail it via certified mail to the insurance company. Certified mail will give you a receipt to prove you mailed the letter and that it was received by the insurance company.
Be Patient and Expect that the Automobile Insurance Company Will Make You a Counter Offer
Once you have mailed your demand letter, then you need to be patient and wait for a written response from the insurance company. Since it is the adjuster's job to save their company as much money as possible, you should expect they will give you a counter offer that is lower than the amount in your demand letter. When the counter offer arrives, you will need to either accept it or take steps to file a case in court.
Hire an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney
Once you have exhausted your attempt to get a reasonable settlement from the automobile insurance company, it is time to hire an experienced personal injury attorney. The lawyer will work on your behalf to get the insurance company to offer you a fair offer or will file a lawsuit to compel them to pay you fairly for your damages sustained in the accident. Finally, if you want to be compensated for your pain and suffering caused by the accident, you will need to hire a lawyer so they can calculate the appropriate amount based on past cases and current laws.
For more information, you will need to contact someone such as Jack W Hanemann, P.S.
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