You were in a serious car accident. You didn’t cause the accident. You were injured and are suffering the consequences. If these statements are true, getting the compensation you need from the insurance company should not be difficult. That’s what insurance should be there for – to cover situations where you need to be compensated for an accident that was not your fault. However, this isn’t how things work in nearly every situation. As a for-profit business seeking to maximize its profits, the insurance company will attempt to get you to accept the lowest possible amount it can. They will try many different tactics, with the hope that you will eventually give up and accept whatever meager amount they are offering. The insurance company understands the financial stress that comes in the aftermath of an accident, and they know that they can exploit you because of that. If you want the settlement you deserve, you need help.
You know you must repair or replace your car and pay your medical bills. But much more goes into a comprehensive car accident settlement that will allow you not only to pay the initial bills that may be piling up after the accident but also make sure you do not have to deal with any long-term financial setbacks due to the accident. Your settlement should include:
To get the most out of your settlement, you need to understand everything that can comprise your settlement. This is where you need the help of an experienced attorney.
It’s so tempting to take the initial offer from the insurance company. When they put together that first number for you, they are likely to be kind and understanding, giving you the impression that they are on your side and want to help you get back on your feet quickly. A quick settlement can feel like a gift If you have medical bills piling up, a damaged or totaled vehicle and cannot work. However, it’s usually not.
As previously mentioned, a quick settlement is usually substantially lower than what you are entitled to. The insurance company knows that once you sign the settlement agreement, you cannot come back and ask for more, even if your long-term expenses are considerably higher, but they are hoping you don’t know that. Resist the urge to accept the first offer and take the time to work with an attorney to help calculate your actual damages.
Yes, and the insurance company is hoping you will. Why? Because they can manipulate you and count on you not knowing the intricacies of what you are entitled to in a comprehensive settlement. They can use tactics that imply you need to take partial responsibility, may monitor your social media for anything they can use against you, and hire someone to conduct secret surveillance. They may even start stonewalling and ghosting you, making you worry that you’ve lost your chance entirely. They have experience with thousands of other claims, so they know what tactics work for exploiting victims who are trying to navigate the claim process without an attorney.
Your attorney provides a few essential benefits. First, you can focus on healing, not having to worry about gathering evidence, calculating losses, dealing with negotiations with the insurance company, etc. Your attorney will handle the legal complexities; you focus on recovery. Because their only focus is on your settlement, they can build a solid case to increase the value of your settlement, including collecting and preserving evidence. Let your attorney handle all the communication so you aren’t tricked into saying something that could possibly hurt your case.
If you want to get the most out of your car accident claim, you may wonder if hiring an attorney will take a big chunk out of your settlement. It’s a fair concern, especially when you are already facing financial stress. The increased settlement your attorney can negotiate will almost always be enough where you can pay your attorney and still increase the amount you receive compared to trying to handle it on your own. Most car accident attorneys work on contingency. That means their fee comes as a percentage of the final settlement rather than being paid upfront, or accruing billable hours. Only a few attorneys, like Arthur Law Firm, have a guarantee to ensure that their fee will never exceed the value of your settlement.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault and want the maximum settlement you can get to recover and move forward, get a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney like Arthur Law Firm who can help you get the most out of your car accident claim. Contact us immediately at (419) 782-9881 for a free consultation to discuss your legal options.