After being injured in a car accident, money can be one of the first things on your mind.
Finances are often a worry, and those stressors can be amplified if you have medical bills and are unable to work. Securing any compensation for your car accident injuries requires working through the claims process with the insurance company. Call our experienced Anniston car accident lawyers at Steve Morris Law to learn what you must do to receive a full settlement for your injuries.
Do Not Worry About Average Car Accident Settlement Amounts
The rule of thumb in a car accident settlement is that it should reflect the exact amount of your own personal damages. You are entitled to be paid for what you have suffered, and your damages may not resemble those that the “average” person has sustained. This is why it is called a personal injury case. If you go into your case focused on an average amount, you could end up leaving a considerable amount of money on the table. The insurance company hopes you focus on averages, paving the way for a lower compensation offer from them.
Factors That Impact Your Car Accident Settlement
Instead, you need to focus on the individual factors that would affect your settlement and how those factors impacted your life. You are entitled to be paid for the actual economic costs of your injuries and the experience you have endured. Your experience is unlike any other, and your compensation will likely be different.
Factors that can affect your settlement include the following:
- How much you were earning before your injury
- The medical care you needed and may need in the future
- The life you had prior to the car accident that you may no longer enjoy
- How much physical pain and emotional discomfort your injury has caused you
Another significant factor is how hard you fight to secure all of the compensation you deserve.
Some people may take the first or an early settlement offer, but this is often a mistake. The claimants who receive the most money are those who fight the hardest, which means rejecting offers that do not pay you enough. Sometimes, the word “no” is the most important one in your vocabulary when you are dealing with the insurance company.
How Long Does a Car Accident Settlement Take?
The best answer to any questions about the timeline for a car accident settlement is that your case should take as long as necessary for you to receive the money you need. Unfortunately, the insurance company does not make it easy to get fair compensation for your injuries. Not only will they take a considerable amount of time to respond to your initial claim, but they will also offer settlements that you have no choice but to reject. In these cases, you either counter or take your case to litigation. You should not expect your case to conclude quickly. If it does, you are likely the one who is leaving money on the table. You must be as patient as possible as your lawyer works through the legal process with the insurance company on your behalf.
What Are the Benefits of Settling a Car Accident Claim?
Having a jury decide your case should be the last resort in the legal process. You take on a certain amount of risk when you go to trial. The jury could rule against you, and you could end up with nothing at all for your injuries. Additionally, the legal process takes time – a court case could take up to two years. When you settle your case with the insurance company, you take much of your risk off the table and may receive money more quickly. A vast majority of car accident victims will decide to settle with the insurance company, as very few personal injury cases ever go to a full trial. Even if your lawyer files a lawsuit on your behalf, the case would still likely settle before it gets in front of a jury.
Contact an Anniston Car Accident Lawyer Today
Steve Morris Law serves as an effective advocate for car accident victims and their families. We take the time to learn about your situation and the particular facts of your case before helping you decide on a legal course of action. To speak with a car accident lawyer, you can call us today at 256-357-9211 or send us a message online. It never costs anything to speak with a lawyer during a free consultation, and you pay us nothing unless you win your case.
