6 Tips To Increase Your Settlement Value After an Auto Accident

The settlement you receive after a car crash should help you move on with life. Therefore, you must strive hard to get to maximize your injury settlement. A reasonable compensation should cover your pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages. This guide highlights tips that can help you increase your personal injury settlement.

1. Get Medical Attention

Receiving medical attention as soon as possible can help your injury settlement. So don't reject medical attention even if you feel fine. Sometimes, car accidents can cause delayed injuries and symptoms will not appear until after a few days.

Your medical records are crucial evidence in your personal injury case. You can use the records to validate your injuries.

2. Gather and Preserve Evidence

Evidence determines the strength of your personal injury case. Therefore, you must gather all the relevant evidence that can help prove negligence. The following information can act as evidence:

• Police reports
• Dashcam footage
• CCTV footage
• Eyewitness statements
• Photographs

Compile plenty of evidence, as it will help you prove liability. Once you've obtained the evidence, hand it to your attorney for preservation. You can ask a lawyer for help obtaining and securing evidence.

3. Be Cautious With Insurance Personnel

It would be incorrect to assume that insurance companies are on your side. Remember that insurance companies avoid settling claims to minimize their losses. Therefore, they'll get an insurance adjuster to look for an opportunity to reduce or deny the benefits you are entitled to. Therefore, talking to an insurance adjuster might hurt your claim.

Instead, you should allow an attorney to handle all the negotiations and communications.

4. Don't Accept the First Offer

Insurance companies are known to make low initial offers. But, no matter how good the initial offer looks, you shouldn't accept it. If you accept the first offer, you may be leaving money on the table.

Always consult a lawyer before you accept any offer. Lawyers can advise you whether they think the offer is fair or not.

5. Stay Off of Social Media

Social media can hurt your personal injury lawsuit. The defense and insurance adjusters may monitor your social media accounts for opportunities that can hurt your case.

Therefore, you should avoid posting about your car crash or injuries on social media. Also, warn your relatives or friends against discussing the details of your injuries or accident.

6. Lawyer Up

A competent attorney can increase your chances of getting a larger settlement. Lawyers have experience in representing auto accident victims. Therefore, hiring an attorney will help you build a compelling case.

Additionally, your lawyer will handle all the negotiations with the insurance companies. Don't be surprised if the insurance company doubles or triples its initial offer when an attorney is involved.

An attorney can offer legal representation if the claim moves to court.

If you need assistance with your personal injury claim, engage our competent attorneys at Jarve Granato Starr LLC. Contact us today for proper legal representation.