You’ve got a lot on your plate right now. You had this horrific accident and want to recuperate in peace. Unfortunately, when it’s time to recoup your medical expenses and compensation, you’ll be bombarded by an insurance company with seemingly endless questions and demands.
We understand that the last thing you want is to deal with the stress of negotiating through this process. However, an insurer can take advantage of you and deny your claim with no recourse if you’re not careful.
What the insurance company is ready to pay you depends on your actions right after an accident. Consequently, you must know your legal alternatives and possible course of action to raise your injury compensation.
Tips For Maximizing Your Compensation
1. Collect Evidence
This is the first and most crucial thing you must do after an accident. In Indiana, the policy requires clear and convincing evidence to show the party at fault in the accident. This means that you will have to corroborate your claims with legally acceptable and valid evidence:
- Police report
- Eyewitness accounts
- Photo/video evidence
- Other relevant evidence
You should be careful not to miss out on anything relevant to your case. The best way to get these important documents is to make a claim with the police and ensure that the accident report accurately reflects your side of the story.
You should also create your independent photo and video evidence that does not come from the insurance company’s insurance adjuster or anyone else, for that matter. This will let you prove your case without relying on anyone else.
2. Don’t Settle for the First Offer
Insurance companies are profit-making agencies; they are not your friends. The sooner you accept this fact, the better. An insurer will always make you offers that are less than what you deserve. They may even make you feel like you have no leverage or claim to go after to make you accept the low offer. Don’t accept this!
Whether you negotiate with an insurance company or deal with the at-fault party’s lawyer, the result will be the same. This is why you should establish your mindset and ensure you use all available options. Never accept any offer, especially if it doesn’t reflect all your damages, including lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
3. Emphasize Emotional Damage
When it comes to personal injury, emotional damage is significant. You should make sure you include this in your claim and that you are reporting all feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotions that you have had after an accident.
Some things you can do to get your point across:
- Highlight your enduring pain, fear of further trauma, anxiety, and the like.
- Emphasize that you have been to therapy sessions to deal with these emotions, and it should be taken into account. Offer proof regarding your pursuit of counseling.
- Don’t forget to focus on the emotional damages that impact your day-to-day life and how they make you less productive. These damages may not always be reflected in your medical records, but they can be corroborated by family, coworkers, friends, etc.
- Be sure to show how your suffering has impacted the lives of your family members, especially your children.
4. Seek Legal Assistance
Learning all these tips is important. However, avoiding all the pitfalls an insurer may lay before you is impossible if you’re not an attorney. You may still make costly mistakes. The sooner you get help from a personal injury lawyer in Gary, IN, the better. You should know what you can’t do and what you should do to give yourself the best chance for compensation.
When negotiating with an insurer, knowing when your rights have been violated is important. The only way this is possible is through experience and legal expertise.
Feel free to contact an attorney, and be bold to ask questions. The more you understand your case, the better you will be equipped to negotiate reasonable compensation.
5. Get the Final Settlement in Writing
Make sure you check over all the documents before you sign them. Feel free to make a request in writing if anything needs to be included or if something needs to be clarified. The more time it takes to fill out the documents, the better. This will give you time to review them carefully and ensure that your compensation reflects all of your damages.
The Bottom Line
It might seem insurmountable, but you should never give up. There is a lot of information about how to deal with insurers and how to pursue your claim. It’s best to get the help of an attorney from the start, and you can be sure that the process will be smooth from there on out.
