How to Maximize Personal Injury Settlements

Insurance adjusters love to discount your case by saying you must not have been injured if you did not seek medical attention. Medical evaluation and treatment documents your injuries by a credible third party. In addition, the treatment plan advised by the medical professional will be considered reasonable and necessary. The amount of reasonable and necessary medical specials influences the total value of your claim. In addition, you have a duty to mitigate your damages, in other words, if you do not seek treatment, you are not acting reasonably in making your condition better.

If you settle your case prior to finishing treatment, you risk losing significant value. Insurance adjusters value a personal injury case by the type of treatment, the length of treatment, and the final diagnosis and prognosis at the end of treatment. In addition, it is sometimes hard to tell how long an injury lasts. Some injured victims may feel like they are close to being pre-accident status but as soon as they stop treamtent, they regress. Bottom line, wait until you are done treating, then attempt to settle your case.

Show the insurance adjuster you have strong support from family, friends, and co-workers. This makes you a real person, who suffered real injuries. In addition, you also let the adjuster know that if you go to arbitration or a jury trial, you will have witnesses on your behalf. This is extremely beneficial and adds value to your case.

Keep a journal of how you feel as a result of your injuries. Detail your pain: the areas of pain, the type of pain, the time of pain, the length of time the pain lasts. Write down your emotions. Not only will this help relieve some hurt and anger you may be feeling, but this also documents your mental anguish, which is a recoverable general damage. Detail your inconveniences. How far you needed to drive to your medical appointments, your inability to go grocery shopping, having to get your car fixed, etc. Note the loss of enjoyment of life. Did you miss a vacation? Were you unable to go to a movie because you couldn't sit for long periods of time? Did you miss church? Could you no longer work out? All these notes will help your attorney get the most value for your case, both in settlement, and if your case goes to litigation.