How Do Personal Injury Settlements Work?
A little while ago, we published a post here on the Westmoreland Injury Lawyers blog that discussed what it takes to get the most possible compensation from your personal injury case. It is just as true now as it was then that maximizing your compensation comes down to one big factor—hiring an experienced and capable personal injury attorney who is driven to get the best results for their valued clients.
Beyond that, we understand that the average individual seeking help with their personal injury case will still have many questions about the personal injury settlement process. Today’s post seeks to provide a few insights into some of the biggest questions.
Of course, the easiest way to get the answers—and compensation—you need when you’ve been injured on the job, in an auto accident, or even by medical malpractice, is to entrust the settlement process to professionals like us here at Westmoreland Injury Lawyers.
How Much Compensation Should I Expect for My Personal Injury?
The first step in negotiating a settlement for a personal injury claim, such as a car accident, is calculating a reasonable amount of money you would accept to give up your legal claim. This could be anywhere from a few thousand dollars upwards of millions—there is really no average personal injury settlement dollar amount because each case is unique.
How do you know what dollar amount you should seek?
Most insurance companies and injury attorneys rely on specialized formulas to get a starting point for settlement negotiations. This is true for all types of personal injury cases, from bodily injury claims in car accident cases to slip and fall injury claims.
While you can find many calculators online that claim to simulate these formulas, we want you to know that nothing is guaranteed when it comes to recovering compensation for your injury—especially if you choose to go it alone against the insurance companies. Your best bet to receiving genuinely adequate compensation is to hire an experienced personal injury attorney to guide you through the process.
This settlement offer is unacceptable. Now what?
Know that personal injury attorneys are capable of jumping into an ongoing settlement process at any point. Suppose you have not sought legal help prior to being offered a settlement check by an insurance company. In that situation, you absolutely can—and should—call us in to help you evaluate whether to refuse a lowball amount.
As we covered in that previous article mentioned above, you should never accept a settlement amount you’re uncomfortable with, no matter how pressured you may feel. Insurance companies know how to intimidate injured people and make them feel like they cannot say no. It’s unfair, but this is precisely when you should consult with a personal injury attorney to fight for your rights.
Are you sure that the settlement offer fully covers future damages you will inevitably suffer as a result of your illness or injury? Does it seem like it may not adequately cover the medical expenses you’ve incurred so far? Not sure? Call us.
When Will I Be Paid for My Injury?
Just as there is no average personal injury settlement amount, there is not one typical timeline for getting through the personal injury settlement process. However, it’s crucial to remember that insurance companies will always push to close claims as quickly as possible. Although you may be eager to end this physically and emotionally painful chapter for yourself and your loved ones, you cannot let these big corporations rush you!
As we covered in our Complete Guide to Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyerchapter specifically about auto accident injury settlements, auto insurance claims may be open many months after an accident. They represent an excellent example of a settlement process that can seem simple and straightforward at first, which still requires patience to ensure the proper outcomes.
More complicated workers’ compensation and medical malpractice claims, on the other hand, can sometimes be ongoing for years—especially if a court process is involved.
Regardless of the type of personal injury case you’re involved in, the main point to remember is that you need to be patient and give your legal team time to work as best they can to recover compensation on your behalf.
Are you curious to see what a successful compensation recovery looks like in a complex personal injury case that involved auto insurance claims, workers’ comp, and even a court process? Don’t miss our success story demonstrating our law firm’s expertise in working through workers’ compensation, insurance settlements, Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, and trial proceedings to recoup over $1 million in benefits for a deserving client.
Trust Westmoreland Injury Lawyers to Get You the Compensation You’re Owed
When our skilled lawyers take on your case, we do it with one goal in mind—winning. If we don’t win and recover compensation for your personal injury, you don’t pay. It’s as simple as that. We work on a contingency basis so our neighbors here in Greensburg have a risk-free legal resource they can count on when they’re facing the difficulties of personal injury, medical bills, and loss.
Get in touch with the experienced personal injury attorneys at Westmoreland Injury Lawyers today for your free consultation, and let us know how we can help you!
