Most folks don’t ever get a good look at the personal injury claim process. That’s because to get a good look inside the process, you have to be badly injured. No one wants that, so I hope this blog post will give you an inside look into the personal injury settlement process without having to get yourself injured.
Treatment
If you’re injured, you need medical treatment. If you don’t get it, you don’t really have a claim. In addition, you only get one chance to make a personal injury claim, so you have to wait until you’ve finished your treatment before you make that claim. For those reasons, this is the first step in making a personal injury claim.
Record Collection
To make a personal injury claim, you need records supporting your case. These usually include medical records and bills. But you might also need records from your employer or your school if you lost income or dropped out of a class because of your injuries. It can be time-consuming to collect all these records yourself, so it’s often worthwhile to hire a personal injury lawyer to do this for you.
Demand
Before an insurance company pays a claim, they have to be presented with a demand. A good demand will include all the relevant records and bills. It will also lay out exactly why the other person in liable for your injuries and how much they are liable for.
Negotiation
The first offer is rarely the last offer. Once the insurance company makes you a settlement offer, you need to work out what your best negotiation strategy is. A personal injury lawyer can help you decide how to negotiate your claim. In addition, an experienced lawyer will have a lot of experience in similar cases that will allow him or her to advise you better.
Litigation
If negotiations fail, your next step is litigation. Most cases don’t go this far, but some have to. Litigation begins when someone files a complaint to start a lawsuit. You can still settle after you enter litigation, but if you don’t, you will end up in trial. After that, either side might appeal. It’s a long process, but worthwhile in some cases.
So that’s it. There are each of the steps to go through in settling a personal injury claim. I hope you never have to use this information, but if you do and you want to speak to a personal injury lawyer trusts, feel free to contact us.