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If you’ve been a victim of a car crash due to someone else’s negligence, the first thing that will come to your mind after seeking medical attention is to file compensation for injuries, vehicle damage, and other significant losses.
Filing claims for compensation can be a nightmare, and if you’re filling a car accident claim, things can go south very quickly because the process might be time-consuming, not to mention the vast list of policies that can complicate things. These two factors are enough to make you skip filling out a claim.
The compensation after a car crash is dependent upon multiple factors.
- Location of the accident – State, area, street
- The vehicles involved in an accident
- Who was driving
- The person at fault
Compensation and Benefits
Once you know the policies for filing a claim, you should understand what a compensation plan should look like. If you’re suffering because of someone else’s fault, you can seek compensation for your total damage, including:
- Medical Bills: You would know how medical bills can pile up after a car crash. Filling a claim can save you from spending every single penny of your savings.
- Personal Damage: Damage can include anything from your property or vehicle to any personal damage.
- Lost wages: If you have to miss work due to an injury, you have the right to ask for compensation for missed paychecks. It can also include PTO benefits and other employee benefits you’re entitled to.
- Pain: A severe accident can cost you more than a few bills. It can affect your daily activities, job, and even personal life. You can obtain compensation to be healthy and pain-free.
- Consortium: You might be wondering what consortium is. It is a legal term for the companionship of your partner. You can seek compensation for the loss of physical intimacy you have suffered due to the accident.
- Loss of Happiness: Accidents can leave you depressed, and you might not enjoy your life as you did earlier. You can ask your insurance company to add this to your claim.
- “Punitive” Damages: While you don’t get paid for this, you voice your concern regarding another person’s behavior that led to such an incident. It’s primarily included in the claim when someone intentionally tries to injure or damage your car.
Usually, insurance companies give a very low settlement offer, which only reflects medical expenses and does not include everything you’ve suffered. When fighting for compensation, you can count on these points to acquire your total damage cost.
How Car Crash Victims Could Hurt Their Claim
As you seek compensation, you must know the factors that may cause you hurdles. No one likes to settle for less, but some insurance companies will try to deceive you with a low settlement and extended time frame. Therefore, you must know common things that can harm your compensation and delay the process.
Taking the First Settlement Offer
As piling medical bills begin to haunt you, you will be eager to take the first offer by your insurance companies. You must understand that the first settlement offer is much lesser than the damage you’ve suffered. It usually covers your medical bills and nothing else. If you rush to sign it, you could miss out on other benefits you’re entitled to after the car accident.
It’s best to recover properly before taking any settlement offer because only then would you know how much you’ve spent after the accident.
Going To the Court
If you’re not satisfied with the final verdict of your insurance company, you have the right to repeal the judgment. People often go to court because they are unsatisfied with the verdict or want more money than assigned. While going to the court is your legal right, it just delays your process for an indefinite period because you need to wait for the discovery period, after which the court can pass its final decision.
Failing to Collect Evidence
After a car accident, you should focus on your health first and call 911 if you need medical attention but don’t miss out on collecting evidence. The evidence collected at the time of your accident affects your claim procedure. You’re advised to take pictures, including your vehicle and body injuries. Moreover, it’s best to take all contact information from the responsible party to pass it on to your insurance company.
You can even jot down notes such as location, time, driver’s behavior, and everything about the accident that can further enhance your claim in terms of time and decision. It may also help increase the possibility of getting the decision in your favor.
Frequent Negotiations
It’s obvious to have some disagreement after an accident. But frequent negotiation can hurt your claim. It can delay your claim procedure for no reason and weaken your case.
You might get a much lesser settlement offer than you would have received earlier. Moreover, you can miss out on things to claim in the heat of arguments and have to wait until everyone, including your insurance company, comes to mutual ground.
Don’t Want to Hurt Your Insurance Claim After a Car Accident? Get Professional Legal Help
Filing a claim after a car accident can be tricky. Given that you are already disturbed and juggling medical bills. It’s best to hire an attorney when seeking compensation for your losses. A lawyer will ensure you receive the best settlement offer for your loss and even advise on the proper procedure, so you don’t hurt your claim.
You need an attorney to smoothen your claim process because it’s hard to handle everything independently. It becomes even more troublesome when you’ve sustained severe injuries or are clueless about the eligibility criteria or standards of filing a compensation claim.
If you want to learn more about what to do after a car crash, click here.
