Personal injury law allows victims of negligence to claim compensation for their losses. However, the lack of awareness about personal injury law and the rights victim have leads to people not using personal injury law effectively.
Usually, the insurance company of the defendant will compensate the victim almost immediately after the accident. What the victim doesn’t know is that the settlement they offer is much less than their actual loss. The problem is that once they agree to the insurance company’s offer, they can’t claim again.
This is why it is important to speak with reputed law firms like Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, LLP. Experienced lawyers know a lowball offer when they see one.
When you know your actual losses, the chances of getting lowballed by the insurance companies come down.
This article discusses the things you can do to increase the compensation you receive for your losses.
Tips to Increase Your Compensation
The actions you take following an accident have a huge impact on the compensation you receive. A small mistake can completely ruin your chances of getting fair compensation. This is because insurance companies are experts at capitalizing on your mistakes.The following six tips can help you receive better compensation:
- Hire a Lawyer
- Seek Medical Attention
- Document All Your Expenses
- Reject the First Offer
- Don’t Use Social Media
- Don’t Speak with the Insurance Adjuster without Your Lawyer
Hire a Lawyer
Hiring a lawyer is the best thing you can do after an accident. A lawyer is an expert when it comes to dealing with insurance companies and obtaining fair compensation. You’ll want to make sure to find one who specializes in the type of accident you were in – for example, if the accident occurred whilst you the pedestrian, you will want to seek out someone like this Indianapolis pedestrian accident lawyer to help you.
A lawyer can help with the following things:
- Investigating your case
- Collecting relevant evidence
- Calculating your losses
- Drafting a demand letter
- Negotiating with the insurance company
- Representation in court
The benefits a lawyer offers make hiring one a necessity.
Seek Medical Attention
Seeking medical attention is both good for your health and your case. The insurance companies will say that you intentionally made your injuries worse by not seeing a doctor.
They may also say that your injuries were not severe enough to warrant treatment. This can hurt your case. Getting medical treatment proves that you have suffered injuries and spent money to treat them.
Document All Your Expenses
As said, knowing your exact losses is important to receiving fair compensation. Documenting your expenses is important to make the loss calculation process easier.
Document the expenses you incur as a direct result of the accident. For example, collect and document all your medical bills.
Reject the First Offer
The insurance company will reach out to you almost immediately after the accident and make an offer. Do not accept that offer.
Accepting the initial offer might be the greatest mistake you make. Making an offer immediately after the accident is a common strategy used by insurance companies to lowball the victims.
People accept the offer because they don’t know the full extent of their damages. Before accepting an offer, speak with your lawyer.
Don’t Use Social Media
Almost everyone is addicted to social media. Doomscrolling is a real pandemic that no one talks about.
People love posting on social media. If you are someone who loves to post your photos and life updates, you may have to put a temporary stop to that.
Insurance companies will use your posts against you. For example, if you post a photo of yourself enjoying a nice day on the beach, the insurance company may claim that you are completely fine and faking your injuries.
So avoid social media posts until you get compensation.
Don’t Speak with an Insurance Adjuster without Your Lawyer
The insurance adjusters‘ goal is to reduce or reject your claim. They are trained to do that. They will speak with you to extract information from you or make you admit fault.
Anything you say to the insurance adjusters will be used against you. So you need to be careful when speaking with them. Only speak to them when you have your lawyer by your side. They can protect you from the insurance adjusters’ cheap strategies.
Wrapping Up
The above tips can help you obtain the compensation you deserve. The most important tip you should follow is to hire a lawyer. With their understanding of personal injury law, a lawyer can then guide you through the claim process and get you the compensation you deserve.
