How to Ensure You’re Fully Compensated After a Car Accident in Philadelphia
You may be experiencing ongoing pain and suffering resulting from a car accident. Financial hardship from medical bills and lost wages can also be incredibly burdensome.
When this is the case, knowing how to ensure you’re fully compensated after a car accident is critical. Rosen Justice Injury Lawyers can help.
We have a proven process and the skill to deliver results. Our legal team knows how to get more money from a car accident settlement.
How to Get Money from a Car Accident?
If you sustained an injury due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. However, to get paid, you must prove your case. Let’s look at several steps you can take to improve your chances of getting the most money in a car accident settlement.
Hire an Experienced Car Accident Attorney
Hiring an experienced car accident attorney is the most reliable way to get fully compensated for your injuries. An attorney knows how to help accident victims get the money they deserve.
They are skilled at combating insurance company tactics designed to minimize an accident victim’s compensation. Furthermore, an attorney can guide you through the entire legal process and provide the best chance of a favorable settlement.
Your attorney will be able to help you in several ways, including gathering evidence and negotiating with the insurance company.
Gathering evidence
You must demonstrate that you are entitled to damages to recover compensation. This requires evidence. Collecting basic information after the accident is critical. At the scene, it is important to obtain the following:
- The other driver’s contact information;
- The other driver’s insurance company and policy number;
- Photos of all damage that resulted from the accident;
- The make, model, and license plate number for the other vehicle;
- Contact information for any witnesses; and
- Name and badge number of any responding police officers.
In addition to collecting evidence at the scene, the following documents can help support your claim:
- The police report;
- Insurance statements;
- Medical bills;
- Invoices for any expenses related to the accident; and
- Records from your employer such as pay rate, insurance coverage, and time missed from work.
Once you provide your attorney with basic information, they will do the heavy lifting.
Your legal team will use the information you provide to build the strongest case possible. This can position you to receive full compensation for your damages.
Negotiating a settlement
Never accept a settlement without speaking with an attorney. Insurance companies will try to convince you to take a low offer quickly so they are not on the hook for all of your costs over time.
But once you accept an offer, you can never go back for more, regardless of how much more money your injuries end up costing. A lawyer knows how to evaluate what your case is worth and will work to get you full and fair compensation.
If the insurance company does not agree to a fair settlement, your attorney will likely recommend that you take the case to trial.
Get Medical Attention Right Away
Immediately seeking medical attention is essential to helping you get the most money from your car accident settlement. Even when the severity of your injuries is not readily apparent, it’s necessary to get a medical exam right away.
Many serious and life-altering accident injuries do not present symptoms right away. In addition to potentially saving your life, documenting your medical treatment from the start will create a record that ties your harm to the accident.
Your medical records can also show how much money you need to treat the injuries. This evidence is key to increasing the value of your claim.
Avoid Social Media
If you want to get the most money for your accident, be cautious with your use of social media. For instance, suppose you claim that you’re an accident victim who can no longer enjoy the physical activities you once loved.
If you then post pictures on Instagram of yourself smiling and posing on a mountaintop after a climb—this could substantially hurt your case. The less you share on social media until your case is resolved, the better.
What Type of Compensation Can I Recover?
When it comes to recovering compensation for a car accident, knowing the types of damages available is helpful. Car accident victims are generally entitled to economic, noneconomic, and sometimes punitive damages.
Economic Damages
Car accidents result in hundreds of billions of dollars in losses each year. Economic damages compensate you for past, present, and future financial losses from an accident. They seek to provide compensation for direct financial expenses created by the injury.
Economic damages cover costs such as the following:
- Past, present, and future medical bills;
- Prescription medication;
- Medical equipment;
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation;
- Lost wages; and
- Diminished earning capacity.
An attorney can help you establish the value of these damages, usually by adding up receipts, invoices, and pay stubs.
Noneconomic Damages
Noneconomic damages are challenging to calculate because they do not represent direct monetary loss. Instead, they represent intangible, subjective losses that do not come with receipts. But such damages are important and can include the following:
- Emotional distress,
- Physical pain,
- Loss of enjoyment,
- Loss of companionship,
- Anxiety,
- Depression,
- Loss of enjoyment of life, and
- Loss of companionship.
Proving pain and suffering damages is not easy. But an experienced attorney can fight to ensure your noneconomic damages are accounted for in any settlement.
Punitive Damages
Unlike economic and noneconomic damages, punitive damages do not compensate the victim for losses. Instead, they are meant as punishment for defendants that behaved in a particularly wrongful way. These damages seek to punish and deter similar behavior in the future.
An experienced attorney can help you pursue every category of compensation that applies to your case.
Car Accident Lawyer in Philadelphia
Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Hire an experienced car accident attorney from Rosen Justice Injury Lawyers. Our nationally recognized attorneys have recovered millions of dollars in damages for our clients over the years, and we can help you too.
We will give your case the personal attention it deserves. We know you need money as you cope with the financial hardship that accompanies most accidents. We work as quickly as possible to get you the settlement money you need. Contact us today to get started.
