How to Settle Accident Claims: Important Tips to Maximize Your Settlement

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, the first thing to understand is that you’re not alone. Every year, roughly 6 million accidents take place. Some debilitating and others fatal.

If your accident has left you unable to do the things you normally do comfortably, chances are, you’re entitled to filing accident claims. But how do you go about getting the ball rolling with your claims process? How can you maximize your settlement?

Below, our team has put together some quick tips you can reference to use as a guide to make sure your accident claim stays on the straight and narrow and ultimately, pays you what you’re due.

1. Seek Medical Attention Immediately

If you’re going to file an accident claim with an insurance company, know that the first thing they’ll review when assessing your injuries is whether or not you received medical help after your accident.

After all, people who are injured get evaluated at the scene of an accident by an EMT or visit with their doctor immediately thereafter. If you’re not among those people, chances are you can expect an insurance adjuster to look at your claim and dismiss or steeply reduce it.

2. Document the Scene of the Accident

You’ll find that while everyone may be on the same page when an accident happens after parties have gone back home and chatted with family, friends, lawyers, insurance companies, etc., people’s recollections may start to change.

To make sure that a driver you had an accident with doesn’t suddenly shift the blame to you, be sure to document your accident.

Take pictures of the wreck, take videos, obtain a copy of the accident report, get the contact information of any witnesses.

All of this kind of evidence is integral in maximizing accident claims.

3. Be Specific When Talking to an Adjuster or Medical Professional

It’s important that you’re always extremely clear on your symptoms.

When you’re talking to your doctor, never leave anything out so there’s no ambiguity in your medical report. When you’re talking to your adjuster, let them know your pain and suffering as well as the fact that your medical report will corroborate what you’re saying.

The second you leave a symptom out of a meeting with either party, that omission may act as fuel to fight your case.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate with Your Adjuster

It’s an insurance adjuster’s job to pay you as little as possible. That’s what they exist to do.

Because of that, it’s important that you never fold when you get an initial offer and also, it’s important that you remain firm and polite during discussions.

If you get a low ball offer, let them know that you appreciate it but that it doesn’t adequately account for the damages you feel you deserve. Let them know that you’ll need to get an attorney involved if they can’t give you something that’s fairer.

5. Keep Your Expectations in Check

While we always advocate that you fight for the highest accident claims settlement you can get, it’s also important to keep your expectations in check. At the end of the day, passing up offers and taking matters to court doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get a higher settlement amount from a jury.

Remember, there’s a lot of uncertainty in court. A jury can vote both in and out of your favor.

That uncertainty is what incentivizes insurance companies to do everything in their power to settle out of court. It should incentivize you to do the same thing.

6. Know What Types of Compensation You Can Collect On

Part of having reasonable expectations is having reasonable knowledge of the different categories adjusters will consider when formulating your offer.

Generally, an accident claim should account for vehicle damage, property damage within the car, cost of car rentals, miscellaneous out of pocket expenses, and pain and suffering you incur.

7. Get an Attorney On Board

It’s definitely possible to sort out an accident claim without hiring an attorney. That being said, it’s rarely not worth your time to meet with one and hear what their perspective is on your case.

Most accident claim attorneys collect their fees on the contingency of getting you a favorable settlement. That means their work should pay for itself.

Also, the earlier you hire an attorney, the less negotiating, digging, watching what you say to insurance adjusters, etc. you’ll have to do on your own behalf. A good attorney should handle all negotiations for you and coach you through processes that you’ll need to get directly involved in.

Finding a good accident attorney can present a challenge given the sheer volume of them. At the end of the day, be sure to interview at least 2 or 3 to get their perspective on what they can bring to the table.

When in doubt, consider checking out this website which acts as a directory for finding the best accident attorneys in your area.

Wrapping Up How to Settle Accident Claims Tips

If you’ve been involved in an accident, you should be focused on two things… Recovery and maximizing your claim.

We recommend utilizing our tips above to help with the latter of those two goals and also, can’t stress enough the value of hiring a good accident attorney can bring to building your case.

Good luck getting the compensation you deserve and get well soon!

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