Maximizing Your Personal Injury Settlement

An injury can derail so much of your life. A settlement is your one chance to be restored to the position that you were in financially before the injury occurred. If you accept a settlement that is too low to cover the costs of your injuries, then they become your burden to bear. An injury is enough of a burden, so it is important to completely hold the responsible party accountable for the harm that they have caused when you have the chance. Working with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible is the best way to maximize your settlement. The sooner you begin working together, the sooner they can begin developing a solid case strategy and gathering evidence to support your version of events. The information in this article is general, and serves as good background to help you understand proactive measures you can take even in a difficult situation to improve your chances of recovery and maximize your settlement. Every case is different though, and if you would like more in depth, personalized feedback on your case, your best option is speaking with a qualified personal injury attorney. If you would like to speak-one-on-one with one of the experienced Johns Creek personal injury attorneys at Hawkins Spizman Trial Lawyers, feel free to schedule your free consultation today.

Tips for Maximizing Your Settlement

Ultimately, the amount of your settlement will depend on a variety of factors, including the degree of negligence or recklessness exhibited by the other party, whether there was malice involved, and the permanency and severity of your injury. However, regardless of your settlement amount, you can ensure that you are maximizing it by following these tips.

• Collect as much evidence as possible. Take pictures, get witness contact information, and find out if there are any security cameras that may have recorded video of the accident. Continuing to take pictures of the injuries over time is also helpful.
• Talk to an attorney early.
• Do not accept a settlement offer before you have spoken with a lawyer. You may hear a number that sounds big hours after an accident and want to grab it without a second thought, but that number might look very small after seeing your total medical bills, and once you have accepted it you negate your right to further compensation. Insurance companies will push you to settle before you are capable of knowing the full extent of your injuries.
• See a doctor immediately. The sooner you seek medical attention, the more urgent and serious the injury will appear to jurors. If you wait days to see a doctor, it will be easy for the insurance company to argue that you were not in severe enough pain to seek medical help. It can also reveal serious medical issues early on, which makes it easier to get proper treatment and to establish causation later on.
• Keep a pain journal. Keeping a daily journal that details how you are feeling and how your injury is impacting your daily life can make a huge difference when it comes to claiming damages for pain and suffering. You can also include whether you had to miss work that day due to pain, and what treatments and doctors appointments had to be attended, as well as the distance to those appointments (or the cost of an Uber) and any other costs incurred that day as a result of your injury.

Schedule a Consultation

If you or a loved one have suffered an injury in Atlanta, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Cobb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Johns Creek, Sandy Springs, or the greater Georgia area, due to someone else’s negligence, our lawyers are ready to help. Contact Hawkins Spizman Trial Lawyers and schedule a free consultation.