Did you know that there are over five million car accidents per year in the United States? With so many car accidents, you may not think about how some of the victims recover from these accidents.
They may have bodily harm as a result of the accident. Or, they could be lucky to get away with only damage to their car.
However, some people may consider going after an accident settlement. Or, they could already be in this process but feel like their offer is too low.
If you find yourself in this position, you may be wondering how you can get a better car accident settlement. This guide will show you what you need to look out for.
Document Everything
The first thing that you need to do is document everything about your car accident. If you did not get hurt too badly, this could mean stepping out of the car and taking your own photos of the accident.
However, there are other ways that you can provide documents if you were not physically able to take photos.
One easy thing that you can do is keep track of all of the medical records that you have as a result of the accident. These can be from a hospital stay, a doctor’s visit, and more.
Also, get a copy of the police report to show to your insurance company and any records of your car history. It can help show how much your car is worth and how much you have personally suffered from this accident.
Another thing you may need is copies of your employment records. This car accident may result in you missing time from work. If the accident was not your fault, you have to think about compensation for the time that you are missing from work.
Think About the Long Term
Next, you need to think about anything that could still play out in the long term. The biggest example of this is any permanent injuries that you or a loved one may have had from a car accident.
An example can be if another car crashed into you and one of you ends up having permanent issues with your spine. That is a major problem that is not going to go away tomorrow, and you need to realize that somebody needs to keep up with the bills for that.
Injuries like that can make someone very unlikely to work a physical job again. If you or a loved one find yourself in that position, you are also going to have to consider the lost future wages as a result of this accident.
The point is that you need to take a step back and think about everything at play here before accepting an offer. You want to make sure that you account for everything and that the settlement will take care of you and your family.
Negotiate With Your Insurance Company
At some point, you are going to need to meet with your car insurance company and see what kind of settlement they are willing to offer you. Here, it is vital to remember that this is business for a car insurance company.
They deal with thousands of these claims per year, so they are looking to do their due diligence on how much they have to pay you. Because of this, they are likely going to make you a low offer at first.
Since insurance companies are a business and you are a normal victim of a car accident, they may assume that you do not know what a good settlement offer is. As a result, they could try to take advantage of you and give you a lower number than you deserve.
Do some research on how much you can realistically expect here. Also, review your own policy to see what you are entitled to from your insurance company. Then, do not be afraid to walk away and put pressure on them to come up with a better offer.
Hire a Car Accident Lawyer
Finally, if all else fails above, it is time to bring out the heavy artillery and hire a car accident lawyer. This lets an insurance company and a courtroom know that you are not messing around.
It can also appear to both that you believe you have a strong case. In that situation, you want to make sure that your lawyer will get you more than the average car accident settlement.
Make sure that you share every detail about your case possible with your lawyer. Take advantage of their legal counsel and listen to a lawyer if they tell you that you do not have a case or that it is time to settle.
These folks know what they are doing and have likely represented several people in your shoes. However, if you listen to what they say, it could get you a big payday.
Negotiate an Accident Statement
These are the biggest keys to negotiating an accident settlement. You need to make sure that you document everything about your accident. This can help you later if you are trying to look back at something to strengthen your case for a good settlement.
Then, you need to think about your potential long-term problems here and then get an offer from your insurance company. If all else fails, it is time to get serious and hire a car accident lawyer.
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