Personal Injury Compensation

If you have sustained a personal injury as the result of an accident that was caused by another person, you likely are feeling lost as to what steps you should take next. Legal matters always require precision and expert handling — making them extremely stressful for most victims to handle. One of the most common questions among victims is how much they should expect from a personal injury settlement.

Although this question has more than a few variables to consider, there are measures that you can take to assess your damages and find a reasonable personal injury settlement amount to ensure that the adjusters give you a fair settlement.

From a personal injury attorney, here are seven steps you can take to ensure that you are receiving a fair settlement for your personal injury.

1. Do Thorough Settlement Research

In order to understand what is a fair settlement amount, you need to first understand the extent of your damages and how much they are going to cost you. There are so many ways that a personal injury affects a victim. Medical expenses, therapy, time off from work, as well as psychological stress or trauma, are all things that you should consider and research.

Dedicating some time to researching what the average victim receives for personal injury compensation will help you know what to expect when adjusters contact you.

2. Talk With Your Doctor And Employer

Speak with your doctor first, and be very honest concerning your injuries. Your doctor will be able to give you an estimate for how long recovery will take as well as the future health and medical needs you may have as a result of your injury.

Once you have an idea of how long you might be out of your field of work, talk with your employer.

You will need to consider taking time off, how much that will affect your quality of life due to lost wages, as well as if you will be able to resume your work when you have recovered. These are all things that need consideration when deciding on a fair personal injury settlement amount.

You should not be forced to account for the medical bills and lost wages as a consequence of someone else’s negligence. It is worth figuring out how much you should get from your settlement.

3. Keep Future Damages In Mind

Many personal injury victims fail to calculate future damages into their settlement amount. Don’t make this mistake.

Questions to ask yourself when considering future damages are things like:

• Will I need extensive therapy for weeks or months as a result of my injury?
• Will I be able to find employment in the same field of work that I was in before, or will I be forced to find a new career?

Failing to calculate future damages can lead to financial burdens and unneeded stress. Do a favor for your future health and happiness and be very honest about your prospects following the accident.

4. Present Evidence

If you wish to receive full compensation for your personal injury you will need to present evidence from medical and career authorities detailing your condition and stating how long you will need to recover.

Medical bills and written notes from your doctor and employer all serve as evidence for your case. This kind of evidence allows you to build a strong case and gives you grounds for dismissing inadequate settlement offers.

You should preserve all evidence relating to your case and present it when thinking about how big of a settlement you should receive.

5. Be Skeptical Of The First Settlement Offer

The first settlement offer is likely to be the lowest possible amount that the insurance adjusters can get away with. This is the adjuster’s way of assessing whether or not you know the worth of your damages.

If they can sense that you aren’t aware of just how severely your personal injury is going to affect your finances, they will attempt to low-ball you and save themselves.

This is why it is critical to research the average personal injury settlement amount as well as talk with your doctor concerning projected medical expenses so that you know what a fair settlement amount looks like when the adjusters come to call.

6. Have A Minimum Settlement Amount

Based on your research as well as talking with your doctor and employer, as well as the length of time it will take you to recover, you should now have a relatively good idea of what your damages are worth.

This is the amount that should be used as your minimum.

Because of the previous steps, you have arrived at this amount utilizing all the evidence surrounding your injury.

This isn’t a random sum — but rather, one that you have researched and have evidence to support. You should not accept less than this from an insurance adjuster as you possess solid evidence to support this amount.

Know When To Contact A Personal Injury Attorney

If you are concerned about the financial outcome of your personal injury settlement amount, you should seek the counsel of a personal injury attorney. If you choose to work with a personal injury attorney, you should always consult him/her prior to signing any documents or speaking about your accident.

Your personal injury attorney will guide you legally through the court dates and settlement offers and will ensure that you walk away with just compensation for your personal injury.

Statistics show that those who choose to work with a personal injury attorney are far more likely to receive a satisfactory settlement compensation than those who choose to handle the legalities entirely on their own. A personal injury attorney has experience assessing evidence including physical and property damages as well as emotional suffering and can determine what fair compensation looks like.

Personal injury attorney, Dax Jones of The Jones Firm has had more than a decade of experience in the legal field and has helped countless victims of personal injuries overcome low settlement amounts and receive just compensation for their damages.

If you are in need of a personal injury attorney, contact The Jones Firm today to schedule a free consultation.