Car Crash Injuries: 6 Tips For Maximum Compensation
Car crashes are traumatic experiences, and countless of them occur daily. Average drivers are likely to be involved in three to four accidents in their lifetime. Injuries resulting from car accidents vary in severity, depending on the crash’s intensity.
Although car crashes are deemed as accidents, they occur primarily due to the negligence of one or both drivers. Victims can file accident claims for compensation in situations where it’s clear that the driver is responsible for the car accident.
Filing a car crash claim can be a tedious and challenging process. It would help if you built a strong case from the beginning to secure the financial compensation that covers all the costs related to the accident.
If you’ve sustained injuries from a car crash, here are valuable tips for maximizing compensation:
- Investigate The Crash
The first step towards maximizing compensation after an accident is to investigate the crash. An investigation involves evaluating the accident scene to determine the cause, who’s responsible for the impact, as well as assessing the damage caused by the accident.
The investigation also involves gathering information from witnesses. Find out whether anyone witnessed the crash and get their names and contacts. The information that witnesses provide can help strengthen your compensation claim.
- Compute For A Comprehensive Claim
Another way to maximize compensation is to compute for a comprehensive claim. Work with your car accident lawyer to determine the claim amount, particularly if you sustained severe injuries that require long-term care or impede your productivity.
Consider reading this post by Raphaelson & Levine Law Firm or any other reliable source to find out who’s responsible for medical bills. Ideally, your claim should include projected treatment costs and the income lost due to loss of productivity.
- Get A Car Accident Lawyer
After a car crash, the first thing you’ll want to do is inform your insurance firm. But before you do so, consider talking to an accident lawyer. Consulting a lawyer even when you’ve not decided to hire one allows you to get sound legal advice on what you should do.
A car accident attorney can build a strong case by gathering the evidence required, talking to experts, preparing and filing your claim, and ultimately representing you in negotiation meetings or court sessions. In doing so, the lawyer enables you to maximize your claim as you focus on recovering from the injuries sustained from the car crash.
- Receive Medical Attention
Getting medical attention immediately after a car crash is crucial, even when you think the injuries sustained are minor. While some injuries are noticeable immediately, some car crash injuries may not manifest until time passes, such as a slipped or herniated disc, a spinal injury, and soft tissue injuries.
Delaying treatment not only endangers your health but also casts doubt on your compensation claim. Your insurer can take advantage of this loophole during the case by claiming your injuries are not a result of the accident.
Some injuries, like whiplash, may take weeks or even months to become problematic. So, seeing your doctor right after the crash ensures that all injuries, even those that aren’t immediately visible, are identified.
Furthermore, see to it that you attend all follow-up appointments scheduled by your doctor. Maintain proper medical records—these documents support your compensation claims, and they serve as proof of injuries and back up costs the responsible party should meet.
- Gather And Preserve Evidence
Evidence is critical in helping you demonstrate you’re not responsible for the accident. To prepare a factual claim, work with a car accident lawyer to collect and preserve crucial evidence. Consider getting the following evidence to support your claim:
- Comprehensive witness statements
- Police report about the accident
- Photos or videos showing the crash
- A diagram of the collision
- Medical records
- Work records to prove loss of income
- Limit Your Conversation With Insurance Firms
To maximize your car accident compensation, you need to be mindful of the information you share with insurance firms. Remember, insurance firms don’t want to lose money and will likely trick you into accepting lower payment or admitting responsibility to avoid payouts.
Therefore, when talking to insurance firms, be firm and always state the facts. Avoid insinuating or assuming responsibility. Doing so will cost you the compensation claim you want.
Final Thoughts
Victims of a car crash often suffer physically, financially, and emotionally. If you sustain injuries because of a car crash, it’s only fair that you receive just compensation from the party responsible for the accident.
Filing and negotiating compensation can be a long and draining process, especially for people with severe injuries. Working with a car accident lawyer can make this process easier. Applying the five tips discussed above will increase your chances of winning the maximum compensation for a car accident claim.
