How to Maximize Your Case Value
If you’ve suffered severe injuries due to the negligence of another person, you could be forced to deal with not only great pain and a lengthy recovery, but also financial hardships as a result. Medical treatment can be costly, and days missed from work can squeeze your family’s finances and create stress.
Fortunately, the law allows you to seek compensation from the party responsible for your injuries. When seeking damages in a personal injury claim, you want to secure the maximum amount of money possible.
How do you maximize your case’s value? You’ll want to make sure that your losses are calculated completely and accurately, and you’ll need to prove the impact the accident has had and will have on your life. By doing so, you can help ensure that you’ll recover enough to cover your losses and rebuild your life.
Calculating All of Your Damages
Fully calculating your damages is an essential step in pursuing the most money in a claim after you were involved in a crash that was someone else’s fault. Your damage calculations will be brought to the insurance company during settlement negotiation and later used in your complaint if your case goes to court.
Calculating your damages is a crucial step in a successful claim because if you ask for too little, you will not have enough money to pay for all of your expenses.
To accurately calculate your damages, you will need to determine your economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages include things like reimbursement for your damaged vehicle, your medical expenses and time missed from work. These damages may seem easy to calculate, but they can quickly get complicated. What replacement value do you put on a used car? How do you prove the exact amount of your lost wages if you are self-employed or do not always work the same hours? These are areas where an Albuquerque car accident attorney at Parnall Law can help.
Parnall Law can also assist you with calculating your non-economic damages, which include pain and suffering, disfigurement, and other damages that do not have a precise dollar amount associated with them. Our Albuquerque auto accident attorneys can help you calculate your non-economic damages by using precedents set by New Mexico courts that granted other victims amounts for similar injuries. This can be complex research, but it optimizes the success of your claim.
How to Prove Pain and Suffering
Proving pain and suffering might seem straightforward. You know how much your injuries hurt, so how could the insurance company or the court think otherwise? The problem is that only you have a physical understanding of your pain and suffering. This is why it is crucial to have the help of an experienced personal injury attorney who can gather the proper types of evidence to prove to insurance companies what your pain and suffering is worth.
At Parnall Law, our Albuquerque car accident attorneys will first help you document your physical injuries. You need to have thorough evidence of your injuries such as brain injuries, whiplash, broken bones, burns, lacerations, scarring and disfigurement and medical treatment to establish what level of pain and suffering your injuries caused. Documentation is vital here, and our legal team at Parnall Law can help you to obtain and organize all of the evidence you need to support your case.
Another critical step in proving your pain and suffering is to follow your doctor’s orders. You never want your pain and suffering calculation to be questioned because you failed to complete your treatment or ignored your doctor’s instructions. While failing to follow your doctor’s recommendations may ultimately cause you more pain and suffering, it could reduce the compensation available in your case. Do not let this happen to you.
It is often helpful to keep a journal about how your accident-related pain and suffering affects your daily life. These details may be difficult to recall later if they are not recorded. Testimony from family, friends and co-workers may also help support your claim for pain and suffering damages.
When to Agree to a Settlement Amount
A large percentage of auto accident cases will result in settlement offers from insurance companies. The question is when you should accept a settlement so that you obtain maximum compensation for your injuries.
Let’s start with when not to settle. Never accept an initial settlement offer from the insurance company without consulting an attorney. Quite simply, insurance companies take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Closely work with an experienced attorney to come up with a settlement amount that you are comfortable with.
At Parnall Law, we deal with insurance companies all the time. We will advise you when the time is right to accept a settlement, but we are never afraid to tell the insurance company to meet us in court.
Tips to Increase Case Value
Actions you take after an auto accident can help increase the value of your case. Always:
- File a police report.
- Seek immediate medical attention.
- Take photos of the accident scene.
- Get names and contact information of witnesses.
- Keep a record of all medical bills and related receipts.
- Keep a record time off work and those dates and hours.
- Get medical care for all symptoms, large and small.
- Review all details of your case with a knowledgeable attorney.
What to Avoid to Ensure Maximum Case Value
Some actions you take could be detrimental to your case:
- Never admit fault.
- Never skip a medical evaluation.
- Do not delay making your claim.
- Do not talk about your claim, including on social media.
- Don’t try to file a claim on your own. Contact an attorney for help.
How Can Parnall Law Help Me?
At Parnall Law, we have a 100% Client Service Satisfaction Guarantee. With more than 20 years representing clients, and over $100 million in settlements and favorable verdicts, we are equipped to help you with any auto accident claim here in Albuquerque or surrounding areas of New Mexico.
Let us assist you with every aspect of your case so you can focus on your recovery. Contact us now to schedule a free consultation.
