Getting Help With My Accident

3 Things You Should Not Do When Settling A Car Accident

Car accidents happen all the time, and they often leave innocent people with injuries and damages. If this happened to you recently, you will probably want to seek compensation for your damages and injuries, and you have the right to do this. As you begin thinking about the compensation you would like to receive, you can begin negotiating with the insurance company handling the case. While you are doing this, here are three things you should avoid.

Settling Right Away

You should never agree to settle for any amount right after an accident occurs, and you should realize that insurance companies often like to settle quickly, and they will attempt to get you to settle right away.

There are several reasons to avoid settling quickly, and one of the reasons is to make sure you fully understand the extent of the injuries you have. In many cases, people will not settle their car accident cases until they have reached their maximum medical improvement. This term is used to refer to a point in your future when you have recovered from your injuries as much as you ever will. By waiting until this point, you can be sure to ask for enough compensation for your damages and injuries.

A second reason to avoid settling right away is to receive more compensation. It's very likely the insurance company will make you an offer right away, and this offer is likely to be lower than the amount you could receive if you negotiate with the company. Waiting to settle will usually result in receiving a larger amount of money for compensation.

Waiting to settle is also a good idea simply so you can have time to think about how this accident has affected you. Give it some time, but do not wait too long. You only have a certain amount of time to seek compensation, and the amount of time depends on your state.

Signing Documents

A second thing you should avoid doing is signing any documents the insurance company sends you. These documents might contain agreements that you do not even realize you are making, and you do not have to sign any papers right away. You are free to take your time, and you can always have a lawyer look over the documents simply to make sure that you are not agreeing to anything you don't want to agree to.

Failing To Negotiate

The other important thing you should avoid is failing to negotiate, and this is something that can be easier to do if you have a lawyer. Negotiating is the process of working with the insurance company to reach an agreement on how much your settlement will be. To get the most money for your claim, you should start out asking for a dollar amount that is a lot higher than what you really hope to get. This will give you room for negotiations, and it is always easier to go down rather than up in amount. When you seek compensation, make sure you have a list of items you are asking to be compensated for, such as medical bills and lost wages from work.

If you experience any trouble settling for an amount that you think is fair and reasonable, you should contact a personal injury lawyer that specializes in auto accident cases. These lawyers are skilled and experienced at handling cases like this, and they are great at negotiating.

If you are not good at negotiating or do not seem to be getting very far with the insurance company, call a law office, such as Speers Reuland & Cibulskis, P.C., today for help with your case.


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