While most personal injury claims can be resolved with the insurance company long before filing a personal injury lawsuit, bear in mind that the insurance companies are typically represented by experienced legal teams and entire legal firms. This means that one of the most critical aspects of a personal injury claim is the negotiation strategy.
Dan Zohar is a leading personal injury attorney in Tampa, Florida. For more than 30 years, Dan has been focused on representing plaintiffs who sustained injuries due to the negligence of others and helping them get fair compensation for their injuries and damages. Read on to find out everything you need to know about negotiating the best personal injury settlement.
Do not accept the first offer
Negotiating compensation with an insurance company can feel like haggling at a marketplace. Both you and the insurance adjuster know roughly how much your injuries and damages are worth but not how much the other side is willing to pay or receive. This is where both sides start testing the other until you find common ground.
Remember, the only goal of insurance companies is to get you to settle for the least amount of money possible. This is why hiring a personal injury attorney is critical in ensuring you are fairly compensated.
Be organized
Pay attention to everything being said during a conversation with the insurance adjusters. Write everything down and ask for everything in writing. Hang onto the correspondence until you are paid out. You will want the settlement in writing especially, which does not have to be convoluted and lengthy. As long as you have all the damages defined in writing and the amount and date by which you should expect the payment, you should not have any issues with the compensation.
Be patient yet persistent
You should not pester the insurance adjuster, but that does not mean you should forget about your claim. If they say they will get back to you with a different offer or additional information, try and define a deadline by which you expect to hear back from them. When the time comes, check in with them and see if they prepared everything you agreed upon.
Consult a personal injury attorney
While negotiating your settlement is technically possible without a personal injury attorney, it is strongly advised to at least consult one before trying to do it on your own. From the ins and outs of personal injury law to negotiation tricks such as unrealistically low settlement offers, negotiating the best personal injury settlement can be a minefield for the unwary.
Schedule your free consultation today
Dan Zohar is a renowned personal injury attorney with more than three decades of professional experience in areas such as motorcycle and bicycle accidents, pedestrian and car accidents, as well as slip and fall accidents. For more details on negotiating an insurance claim, call (800) 963-3311 and schedule your free consultation today. Dan will look at your specific case, work closely with you and the insurance companies to minimize pain and suffering, and maximize your compensation.