Participating in a car accident is terrible for all parties involved. Especially if you’re left with injuries, inability to work, and damages to your property, you can face many obstacles on your way to getting your life back to normal.
Some of the largest ones are related to the insurance agencies and their way of handling the situation. Of course, they work for-profit and they will want to handle your case without paying you much or anything at all.
To make sure you are aware of this and to prevent something like this from happening to you, now we’ll uncover the ways to check whether your settlement is enough. Let’s go!
Determining the Value of the Accident
The seriousness of the accident and the type of damage dictate how much an accident is worth. So, Chicago personal injury attorneys can evaluate all factors and inform you of the real value. This way you’ll know what to expect and how much you deserve to get in the form of compensation. These are some of the key factors that determine the value.
Medical Bills
Understandably, you’ll look for medical help right after the accident. Your health matters so you should ensure you haven’t acquired some critical injuries. And if you have, you need to take care of them at once. As hospitals aren’t free, doctor appointments, longer stays, prescription, and rehabilitation costs may arise. They will increase the accident’s value significantly.
Damage to the Vehicle
The vehicle usually suffers during an accident. Therefore, there are costs for repair to be considered. They will influence the value, as well.
Lost Salaries
Some accidents can have such serious consequences that you wouldn’t be able to return to work for a longer time or forever. Do you know what this means? It means lost salaries that can affect the sum you should receive.
Personal Consequences
Your mental health matters. So, if you feel pain and stress, they should be taken into consideration as well. Although this can be complicated to prove an experienced lawyer can assist you with it. Also, there may be a disability involved that can leave a deep impact on your emotional state.
How to Get a Fair Settlement
You shouldn’t sit with your legs crossed while your situation is being discussed. Instead, you should have a saying in the settlement together with the lawyer and insurer. For this reason, you should know a few useful tips along the way:
- Investigate what happened thoroughly without leaving anything aside
- Don’t settle for the first offer of your insurance company
- Don’t lose the receipts and bills
- Turn to a lawyer immediately and explain the case in as many details as possible
Final Remarks About Getting a Settlement That’s Enough
After reading this, you should be able to at least understand what affects the value of the accident the most and determine whether what you are getting as a settlement is enough to cover it all. So, was this helpful? Have you ever had an experience with this before?
