Maximizing Your Insurance Settlement
By Craig Perry
I have been a Las Vegas Auto Accident Attorney for 17 years. I worked for insurance companies before I switched to handling personal injury cases for the injured parties. After so many years of being in this business, I can tell you from my experience how to get the most from the insurance company.
If you follow these steps, you will no longer have to ask, How do I settle my accident claim? You will have a much better idea of the things you can do. With all of these steps, I still strongly advise you to consult with an experienced accident attorney who can give you sound advice and help you settle your claim.
Action: Secure all available evidence from the accident scene.
Reason: There are three basic parts to a personal injury case: (a) liability, (b) injuries and (c) available money. First, you have to prove the other guy is at fault. So you have to preserve all of the evidence you can. That includes not moving the cars and talking to the police to arrive, taking down their insurance information and license plate and name & address, obtaining witness statements, and photographing the scene. Do not do any car repairs until it is examined by an adjust
Action: Never say you are not injured at the scene of the accident. At most, say you do not know yet.
Reasons: If you say you are not injured, most soft tissue injury pains take a few hours or days to develop. If you say you were not injured, the adjuster or defense attorney will try to allege that maybe you were lying just to get a settlement.
Action: Go to the doctor right away, even if you are not feeling pain.
Reasons: Many people are in shock right after an accident. Some people sustain broken bones in an accident without even knowing it. X-rays can reveal many types of injuries even before you feel pain, such as change in spinal curvature suggesting a possible muscle spasms even before the pain begins. Secondly, insurance companies will question your injuries, no matter how legitimate, if you do not see a doctor right away. I have seen cases lose in court where the injured party waited three or four weeks before seeing a doctor.
Two things happen when you delay care. First, the insurance company will question you were ever hurt. From your point of view, you simply thought the pain would go away. From their point of view, you were not even in enough pain to go to a doctor, or maybe you decided to milk the insurance company for money. You avoid such false arguments by seeing someone right away.
Action: Do not miss or skip medical appointments. Follow through with all recommended care.
Reason: Missed appointments will allow the insurance company to argue that you must not have been in much pain if you though that you could miss appointments.
Action: Document all of your lost wages with a doctors note for every day missed.
Reason: Insurance companies have a standard policy of not paying for days off from work disability unless (a) you actually missed a work and (b) there is a note from your doctor stating that you are not able to work.
Action: When negotiating your case, start high.
Reason: If you approach an insurance company with the lowest amount you will take, they will never offer more than you ask and they almost always offer you less than you are asking. Give yourself room to negotiate down. They start low, so you should start high.
Craig Perry is an attorney practicing law in the State of Nevada since 1989. He has handled thousands of cases and settled millions of dollars in personal injury and workers compensation claims. He does not charge a fee for first consultation. He has a bilingual office staff (Spanish) and he speaks Italian fluently.
For more information about this article or the services he offers, call direct 702.228.4777 or toll-free 1-866-LAW-4HIRE, or visit http://www.craigperry.com
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By Craig Perry
I have been a Las Vegas Auto Accident Attorney for 17 years. I worked for insurance companies before I switched to handling personal injury cases for the injured parties. After so many years of being in this business, I can tell you from my experience how to get the most from the insurance company.
If you follow these steps, you will no longer have to ask, How do I settle my accident claim? You will have a much better idea of the things you can do. With all of these steps, I still strongly advise you to consult with an experienced accident attorney who can give you sound advice and help you settle your claim.
Action: Secure all available evidence from the accident scene.
Reason: There are three basic parts to a personal injury case: (a) liability, (b) injuries and (c) available money. First, you have to prove the other guy is at fault. So you have to preserve all of the evidence you can. That includes not moving the cars and talking to the police to arrive, taking down their insurance information and license plate and name & address, obtaining witness statements, and photographing the scene. Do not do any car repairs until it is examined by an adjust
Action: Never say you are not injured at the scene of the accident. At most, say you do not know yet.
Reasons: If you say you are not injured, most soft tissue injury pains take a few hours or days to develop. If you say you were not injured, the adjuster or defense attorney will try to allege that maybe you were lying just to get a settlement.
Action: Go to the doctor right away, even if you are not feeling pain.
Reasons: Many people are in shock right after an accident. Some people sustain broken bones in an accident without even knowing it. X-rays can reveal many types of injuries even before you feel pain, such as change in spinal curvature suggesting a possible muscle spasms even before the pain begins. Secondly, insurance companies will question your injuries, no matter how legitimate, if you do not see a doctor right away. I have seen cases lose in court where the injured party waited three or four weeks before seeing a doctor.
Two things happen when you delay care. First, the insurance company will question you were ever hurt. From your point of view, you simply thought the pain would go away. From their point of view, you were not even in enough pain to go to a doctor, or maybe you decided to milk the insurance company for money. You avoid such false arguments by seeing someone right away.
Action: Do not miss or skip medical appointments. Follow through with all recommended care.
Reason: Missed appointments will allow the insurance company to argue that you must not have been in much pain if you though that you could miss appointments.
Action: Document all of your lost wages with a doctors note for every day missed.
Reason: Insurance companies have a standard policy of not paying for days off from work disability unless (a) you actually missed a work and (b) there is a note from your doctor stating that you are not able to work.
Action: When negotiating your case, start high.
Reason: If you approach an insurance company with the lowest amount you will take, they will never offer more than you ask and they almost always offer you less than you are asking. Give yourself room to negotiate down. They start low, so you should start high.
Craig Perry is an attorney practicing law in the State of Nevada since 1989. He has handled thousands of cases and settled millions of dollars in personal injury and workers compensation claims. He does not charge a fee for first consultation. He has a bilingual office staff (Spanish) and he speaks Italian fluently.
For more information about this article or the services he offers, call direct 702.228.4777 or toll-free 1-866-LAW-4HIRE, or visit http://www.craigperry.com
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