Accidents are not something you can be prepared for. It can happen at any time and anywhere. Since you are not prepared for accidents, they have the potential to turn your life upside down when they do happen. personal injury can cause financial losses and emotional trauma for the victim.
The primary problem that every victim faces following an accident is with insurance companies. Yes, insurance companies advertise themselves as your best friend and claim to help you in times of crisis. But in reality, they do the exact opposite.
Insurance companies will try to lower your settlement by denying and delaying your claim. They will even try to shift the blame onto you. Only reputed law firms, such as Emroch & Kilduff, LLP, can deal with insurance companies and help victims obtain the compensation they deserve.
6 Tips You Should Follow to Recover Your Losses
The 6 tips you must follow in a personal injury case to successfully recover your losses are:
- Do not accept the initial offer
- Document your expenses
- Hire a lawyer
- Stay off social media
- Do not trust insurance adjusters
- Be aware of deadlines
Do Not Accept the Initial Offer
In most cases, insurance companies will almost immediately reach out to you with a settlement offer. Remember, if they are reaching out, it means your case is worth way more than what they are offering. This is a common tactic followed by most insurance companies. They will force you to accept the settlement. The reason for doing this is:
- You will not have spoken to a lawyer yet, so you will have limited knowledge
- You will not have a proper assessment of your losses
- You have important bills that need to be settled
Most people will accept the initial settlement since the process will be over quickly, and you can settle the bills. But this is the wrong move. Once you settle, you can never claim again.
Document Your Expenses
As an accident victim, you will incur a lot of expenses. You need to document all your expenses. This is a great way to show your losses to insurance companies and the court. Medical bills, property repair bills, etc., are some of the bills you should collect. This can be used to calculate your economic losses and as evidence.
Hire a Lawyer
As previously said, lawyers are the only people who can deal with insurance companies. They have the experience, knowledge, and skills necessary to negotiate with the insurance company and obtain fair compensation. They know exactly what the insurance company will try to do and can counter it effectively.
Stay off Social Media
It might sound silly, but you should stay off social media until your case is over. Whatever you say will be used against you by the insurance company. For example, if you post a picture of you laughing, insurance companies can twist that and claim that your injuries are not severe, which is why you are smiling like this. This might seem absurd, but it is a very effective strategy. So, do not use social media.
Do Not Trust Insurance Adjusters
Insurance adjusters will act like your friends. They will make it look like they are working on your behalf. But their ulterior motive is to find information that can be used against you. They will try to make you admit fault or accept their initial settlement. During this time, your only friend is your lawyer. Only trust your lawyer and whatever they say.
Be Aware of Deadlines
Personal injury laws have strict deadlines. The statute of limitations law restricts people from filing a claim after a certain time period. Like this, you have to meet many deadlines to be successful. Missing deadlines can lead to losing your case. This is another reason why having a lawyer by your side is important. A lawyer will know the deadlines and complete the process on time.
Final Thoughts
Claiming compensation is complex if you don’t follow the above tips. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, speak with a lawyer and follow their instructions. They can get you the deserved compensation.
