Let’s say that you have decided to file a personal injury claim. You don’t necessarily know the steps to follow, but you’d like to implement actions that will help you to file a claim. What can you do to start taking actions to file a claim? One of the essential things to making a full recovery comes from making sure that you have the right compensation that can help you recover. When filing a personal injury claim, it’s crucial to have the support and expertise of an insurance lawyer who understands the complexities of the process.
1. Keep Good Documentation
Good documentation will serve as evidence for your case, and it will either prop you up when you file a claim, or it could have a negative impact on receiving a fair settlement. Even if the other party offers a fair settlement, you want your case to stand on its own merit.
Some of the things to keep documentation of include the following:
- Photos of the accident
- Medical bills
- Witnesses and contact information
- Written statements from witnesses
- Copy of the police report
When your attorney has this information, he can follow up on it to determine the best way to present your documentation for a strong case.
2. Don’t Hesitate to Get Medical Treatment
As soon as you have suffered an injury, you should seek a doctor immediately after the injury. This provides you with the strongest evidence. If you suffer an injury and wait a week later, the other attorneys may try to blame your issue on something else. It may not be true, but it will still weaken your case.
Good documentation usually means that you will receive a higher settlement because the other side will be less willing to let it go to court where they could lose more.
3. Multiple Damages Should Be Accounted For
Some people only look at their claim with a limited scope, but a Tampa personal injury lawyer will usually tell you to look at multiple factors when filing a claim. Some of the costs that you’ll want to look at include the following:
- Loss of everyday functions
- Loss of earnings
- Medical bills
- Medication
- Treatment by therapist
- Physical and emotional distress
- Property damage claim
- Collision coverage claim
4. Don’t Act Overeager
You don’t want to betray any signs that you hurt for money to the other party. If they know this, they will use it against you, and you won’t get as good of a settlement as what you could have had otherwise.
They will try to lowball you. To get the best compensation, you want to convince the other side that you will go the extra mile, and this even includes going to court if needed.
5. Explain What Makes the Offer Unfair
Any personal injury lawyer will tell you how getting fair compensation depends on convincing the other side that you have a stronger case than they do. If they give you an unfair settlement, you can explain what makes it an unfair settlement using documentation as evidence — this will strengthen your case.
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make with a personal injury claim is to only look at the current situation. You should always look to the future with this type of case. Personal injury can mean losses now and well into the future. For that reason, you shouldn’t forget to look at what it could cost for future assistance. Doing this ensures that you receive the fairest settlement.
