How Do I Know If I Have A Good Car Accident Settlement Offer?
The amount that you can expect from a settlement offer depends on several variables. While the goal is to secure the compensation you need to recover from your injuries, pay medical bills, lost wages and other costs, oftentimes the circumstances of a case rather than the exact cost of injuries will determine the final amount.
Who Was At Fault?
If you bear partial responsibility for a car accident in which you were injured, you can expect that the amount you are eligible to recover will decrease by the percentage to which you are deemed to have been at fault. If more than one person was at fault, the cost of the settlement will be distributed among the various people at fault.
Sometimes in these cases, not every person who is found to be at fault is able to pay, which can decrease the settlement offer you are realistically likely to receive.
Finally, if it is unclear who was at fault, an attorney may not push for as large a settlement as he or she would otherwise if fault had been clear.
Settling Before Trial
Most car accident cases get settled before they go to trial; some get settled even before a plaintiff files a lawsuit. A case that proceeds to court will usually go to trial before a jury.
Who Is On The Jury?
The settlement that you eventually receive can sometimes depend on the politics of the people on the jury, which can also depend on the location where your trial is held. Depending on the county, some juries may be more conservative than others, which can affect the size of the of settlement.
How Quickly Do You Need The Money?
Defendants understand that not every plaintiff can wait for months or years before receiving a settlement. Often defendants will try to settle quickly for an amount that may be far less than what a plaintiff might otherwise receive. For this reason, it’s ideal to wait until you have fully recovered, or recovered to the greatest possible extent, before pursuing a settlement. Sometimes, the more a plaintiff needs the money, the less they may actually end up receiving.
How Much Money Can You Get From A Car Accident?
There is not one answer to this question: the amount of money you may be eligible to recover after a car accident depends on the severity of your injuries, the balance of fault and the extent to which your injuries are likely to affect you in the future. If you are 50 percent or less responsible for your accident, you may be eligible to collect compensation for a variety of expenses.
Medical Costs
Reasonable costs required to treat and diagnose your injuries would be included in a car accident settlement. It is important to ensure that these costs take into consideration the long-term consequences of your injuries, as well as any lag there may be between the accident and any onset of injuries.
Lost Income/Earning Capacity
Depending on the severity of your injuries, your ability to work may be compromised, either temporarily or permanently. Unfortunately, bills don’t stop just because you’re unable to work. A personal injury settlement should also compensate you for lost wages and your reduced ability over the long term to work to the same level that you did before the accident.
Other Damages
You may be able to secure compensation for other losses that are not strictly economic. For example, in certain cases you may be able to recover compensation for the pain, suffering, disfigurement or scarring you endured as a result of your accident. You may also be able to recover compensation for lost enjoyment of life or damage to your marital relationship.
Should I Accept This Insurance Settlement?
Insurance companies know few injury victims have much experience with insurance claims. They often use this inexperience to their advantage by pushing for undervalued claim settlements shortly after an accident has taken place.
We have seen countless clients deal with the ups and downs of serious personal injuries. We want to make sure they can walk away from an unexpected car accident injury with stable financial support.
If you are wondering, “Should I accept this insurance settlement?” you likely need help from an experienced attorney. Contact us to learn how we can help.
How Insurance Companies May Undervalue Your Personal Injury Claim
Few initial offers reflect the full scope of an injury victim’s needs. Car accidents, especially, often involve jarring motions that can cause delayed symptoms in a driver or passenger. It is not until days or weeks following the accident that a person will experience pervasive migraines, debilitating back pain, chronic numbness or tingling, nerve damage or other issues that point to a more long-term problem.
Even if you are offered compensation that covers your immediate medical expenses, remember that those expenses might not be the end of the damages you experience. You may have trouble going to work in the same profession you were trained in. You may be unable to care for your loved ones or provide the same companionship you once could to your spouse. In some cases, your spouse may even be justified in filing a loss of consortium claim because of these damages.
How We Can Help
If you have been involved in a car accident and have suffered serious injuries as a result, you may feel overwhelmed, frightened and confused. To make matters worse, your insurance company is probably pressuring you to make quick decisions and settle your case.
At Gregory S. Young Co., LPA, we know what you are going through. As a personal injury law firm, we can help you by:
- Dealing with your insurance company for you: You don’t have to worry about the possibility of settling your case for less than what it is worth. We will handle this on your behalf.
- Seeking maximum compensation on your behalf: The financial impact of your accident lasts much longer than initial hospital bills and related costs. We will seek compensation to cover a potential lifetime of expenses, depending on the severity of your injuries.
We have decades of experience handling car accident cases. Not all attorneys do. When you choose us to represent you, you can rest assured you are working with a law firm that has your best interests in mind — and one that has the experience to effectively help you.
We Fight For The Best Possible Settlement: Contact Us
Whatever the details of your case, our firm will do everything it can to secure the largest possible settlement to help you pay for the costs related to an injury caused by someone else’s negligence.
To schedule your free initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer, call 513-838-4562 in Cincinnati, Ohio, 888-469-6437 in Dayton, Ohio, or Kentucky, or write to us to get more information.
