As soon as you get home after having a car accident, you will probably be thinking about settling the case. While you should not rush into settling the case, there are some things that will take place that you should understand. Here are five of the main steps that should occur during this process.
The insurance adjuster will call you
One of the first things you can expect is for the insurance adjuster to call you. This is a person hired by the other party's insurance company to settle the claim between the two parties, and the adjuster will call you to ask you questions and to determine how much money to offer to you as a settlement amount.
You will need to seek medical help for as long as necessary
Another step you should expect is to seek medical help, and you should seek medical help even if you do not think you have any major injuries. You should continue seeking help for as long as you need to, and you should utilize as many different healthcare professionals as necessary. This might include visiting a hospital for an examination after the accident, visiting your regular doctor, and going to a chiropractor. If you are struggling with trauma or emotional problems from the accident, it may also include seeing a therapist for a while.
You will write a demand letter or have an attorney write it
Once you are confident that you know the exact damages you have from the accident, you can write a demand letter to the insurance agency. This letter should state exactly how much compensation you want to settle the accident, and the amount you ask for might be a lot higher than the amount the insurance adjuster offers to you. If you do not know how to write the letter or do not feel confident handling it yourself, hire a personal injury lawyer to help you.
The negotiations will take place
The next step in the process is the negotiation stage. If you have a lawyer, he or she will handle this for you. If you are acting alone, you will be responsible to negotiate for yourself.
The case will settle
These are the main things that will likely occur after you are involved in a car accident that you did not cause, and the last step will be the settlement of the case. If you are not able to do this alone or are afraid you may not handle it properly, hire a lawyer to assist you.
For more information, reach out to personal injury attorneys like those at Nelson Fromer & Crocco Law Offices.
Share13 December 2018
After I was in a car accident, I wasn't sure what I was going to do in the future. I had some really significant back and neck pain, so I started talking with a lawyer about how to recover some of my losses. I began working with an attorney to take care of things, but I was nervous about how the process would unfold. I began working with the attorney to evaluate every component of the incident, and help me to decode the problems I was faced with. We worked on learning more about the lawsuit, and it helped me to make sense of the situation. Learn more about accidents on this blog.