How To Get The Best Car Accident Settlement In Atlanta - The Mabra Firm
If you’ve recently been injured in a car accident in Atlanta, you are likely dealing with numerous hardships.
The most difficult is recovering from your physical and emotional injuries.
As you focus on your recovery, the last thing you want to worry about is an insurance claim and how you’re going to pay for your medical care.
This is where an Atlanta car accident lawyer can help you.
What you do in the aftermath of your motor vehicle accident will have a significant impact on the strength of your injury claim and your ability to receive fair compensation.
In the article below, we will go over several things you can do to strengthen your accident claim in Atlanta.
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Before you begin discussions with an insurance adjuster, you need to know what your claim is worth.
You need to decide on a minimum settlement figure that you will accept.
But don’t tell your adjuster what that figure is; it’s only for you and your personal injury attorneys to know.
It’s so you can keep your bottom line in mind when under the pressures of negotiating.
You don’t have to cling to the figure you set for yourself, though.
If the insurance adjuster points out some facts you had not considered that clearly make your claim weaker, you may have to lower your figure a bit.
But if the adjuster starts with an offer at or near your minimum, you should revise your figure upward.
Accident settlements are complicated legal issues, so you should always have an experienced car accident lawyer on your side.
Many accident victims want to get the claims process over quickly to get their money and move on.
However, the insurance company will usually begin negotiations by first offering a meager amount.
This allows the adjuster to determine whether you understand what your claim is worth and how patient you are.
When the first offer is made, you need to decide if it is reasonable but too low or if it’s so low that they’re trying to take advantage of you.
If the offer seems reasonable, you can make a counteroffer closer to your demand amount.
This lets the adjuster know that you are willing to be reasonable and willing to compromise.
Bargaining back and forth a little more should get you to the final settlement that you both think is fair.
While negotiating accident injury claims, don’t bother to go over all the facts again but emphasize the most vital points in your favor.
When you’re making a claim in Atlanta, it’s crucial to prove that the extent of your injuries lines up with the amount of damages you wish to recover.
Having a paper trail that documents everything from your medical care to lost wages will give you more leverage against an insurance company seeking to lower your settlement.
The settlement process begins the moment the accident occurs.
From that point to where the negotiations begin, you need to have every cost incurred documented so you can provide them to your attorney as evidence of your injuries.
This includes receipts of the ambulance ride, medical expenses, including long and short-term medical costs, prescription costs, property damage, and paycheck stubs.
Another thing to do to get the most out of personal injury claims in Atlanta is to follow your doctor’s orders.
This will not only help improve your quality of life, but it will also “mitigate your damages.”
This means you have taken reasonable action to minimize the effects and losses from your injury.
If you don’t follow through with the medical treatment assigned by your doctor, the insurance company may claim that you made your injuries worse.
They will use that information to give you less than a fair settlement in your case.
But if you follow your doctor’s orders, they won’t be able to give you less than you deserve.
One of the first things any qualified car accident attorney will tell you is to keep your accident off of social media.
During negotiations, and especially if your case makes it to trial, anything you post on social media can be used as evidence.
Insurance investigators will check the social media accounts of your relatives and friends as well to see if there is any evidence that could contradict the injuries you suffered in the accident.
So, if you claim you suffered a whiplash injury due to a car accident but post a video of you playing basketball, the insurance adjuster could use that against you.
The best thing you can do is refrain from social media use while going through the insurance claims process.
Once you know what your claim is worth, you can send a demand letter to the insurance company.
In the demand letter, you need to describe:
the medical treatment you received
ongoing health issues you have
how badly your vehicle was damaged
any losses you incurred as a result of the car accident.
Then you let your insurance company know how much money you need as a result of the circumstances.
The insurance company will likely respond with an offer lower than the amount you’ve asked for in the demand letter.
That’s why you should always ask for between 25 and 100 percent more than what you would be willing to settle for.
Remember that you must have evidence and documentation to back up everything in your demand letter.
A car accident attorney typically handles this step.
During settlement negotiations, you should mention any emotional points that support your claim.
For example, send the adjuster a particularly strong photo of your damaged car or severe injury.
If alcohol was found at the accident scene in the vehicle of the at-fault party, refer again to the possibility of alcohol use.
If your injury interfered with your ability to care for your child or maintain employment, mention that as well.
There is no way to put a dollar value on these factors, but emotional damage can be a potent tool to get an insurance company to receive maximum compensation.
You could try to negotiate an insurance settlement on your own, but hiring an attorney with decades of experience seeking compensation for car accident injuries will likely get you a higher settlement.
With an in-depth knowledge of how to pursue your injury case, expert legal advice on what the next steps should be, and the ability to negotiate with insurance adjusters, a personal injury attorney maximizes your claim’s chances of success.
In order to increase the odds of receiving the largest claim possible, proper legal representation is critical.
You should contact a legal professional as soon as you can after sustaining an injury.
The more time your lawyer has to gather evidence supporting your claim, the better off you’re going to be.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Atlanta, your entire focus should revolve around your physical recovery and getting back on your feet.
If the insurance company is denying or devaluing your claim, contact the expert attorneys at The Mabra Law Firm for a free consultation.
When you hire an Atlanta car accident lawyer from our team, you are gaining an ally that will be by your side during the entire legal process.
To make sure you aren’t taken advantage of after your car accident, schedule your Free Consultation with the Mabra Law Firm today at 404-344-5255.