Money Matters: How to Maximize Your Settlement Amount after a Florida Car Accident

 

Year after year, over 200,000 car accidents are reported in the state of Florida. This doesn’t even account for minor fender benders and other accidents that aren’t reported to the police.

Due to the large number of accidents that occur, it isn’t unthinkable that you won’t ever find yourself in this situation. If you are involved in a Florida car accident that results in injuries or damages, hiring a personal injury attorney in Florida is highly recommended.

While this is true, you should also take steps – starting right after the accident occurs – to help protect your rights and maximize the settlement offer you receive. Some tips to help you with this can be found here.

Preserve All Evidence

The outcome of your case and the settlement you receive depend on your evidence. This means that the more you can do to preserve evidence from the scene, the higher the chance of a successful outcome.

Gathering evidence doesn’t have to be complex. For example, taking pictures or videos of the accident scene is a great way to document the position of the vehicles, road conditions, signs, and other potential contributing factors.

It’s also recommended that you get contact information from any witnesses. If a police report is created, get a copy of it (this is something your attorney can handle for you, too).

Write Down Everything You Can Remember About the Accident

After an accident occurs, it isn’t unusual for those involved to be in shock. However, in the hours after the accident occurs, it’s a good idea to write down anything you remember. These may be events leading up to the accident, things about the collision, and even things that happened after the accident.

It isn’t uncommon for your memory to start to fade or shift as time passes. This is why it’s so important to write things down while you still remember what happened.

Witnesses or the other driver may have made statements that support your claim that someone else was at fault. However, if you wait to record this type of information, you may not remember what was said accurately. For example, you should write this down if the other party apologized for what happened or admitted to being at fault. It can help prove your case and increase your settlement offer.

Some of the other things to write down include:

●        Vehicle information

●        Witness names and contact details

●        Weather at the time of the accident

●        Events at the scene

●        Insurance information

●        Businesses involved

●        If a commercial driver was involved

Remember, no detail is too small to include. It’s important to write down and record anything you remember.

Don’t Wait to Get Medical Attention

If you want to win your personal injury lawsuit and receive fair payment for your losses and injuries, you must know exactly what they are. You need a professional assessment of your injuries and an established treatment plan for this to happen. This documentation will help encourage the insurance company for the other party to provide you with a higher settlement offer.

Even if you don’t think your injuries are severe, you should seek medical treatment. If your doctor creates or recommends a treatment plan, make sure to follow it carefully. This should include physical therapy or treatment for PTSD or flashbacks.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you don’t seek medical treatment right away, the other party may use this against you. For example, they may claim you weren’t actually injured in the accident or that your injuries aren’t as severe as you claim. However, you have ongoing documentation of your injuries, how severe they are, and the amount and type of treatment required for recovery by seeking medical treatment right away. All this information is vital when valuing any car accident settlement.

Never Accept the Initial Settlement Offer

No matter how friendly and helpful they seem, insurance adjusters aren’t interested in what’s best for you. Their goal is to reduce your settlement amount as much as possible to protect the company’s bottom line.

Because of this, the first settlement offer you receive will likely be significantly less than what your claim is actually worth. It’s a good idea to discuss an offer with your attorney to determine if you should accept or refuse it. Remember, things like how the accident and injuries will affect you long-term must be considered.

Hire an Attorney to Help Maximize Your Car Accident Settlement

After a car accident, you may be stressed and in pain. While it can be tempting to accept a settlement offer right away, this may result in you taking much less than what you deserve. Hire a Florida car accident attorney to help ensure you get the settlement you deserve for your injuries and damages.

Read more about: Boca raton car accident lawyer

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