Any time that someone is injured through no fault of their own, they face an uphill battle to recovery. While physical recovery certainly has its challenges—and some victims may never fully recover from their injuries—the financial side of an accident or injury can be just as devastating.
Whether you were hurt in a car accident, slip and fall incident, or in a case of medical malpractice, you deserve financial compensation to make the best recovery possible. We know that the insurance company’s first offer is never what’s in your best interest—it’s in the interest of their own bottom line.
It can be hard to think of turning down an initial settlement offer though, especially when you have medical bills piling up and you’ve been out of work. Before you accept the first offer, give DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC the opportunity to explain why you might not want to quickly settle your personal injury case.
What Is the Insurance Company’s Priority?
In most situations when one person is injured because of another individual’s negligence, the at-fault party’s insurance will pay for damages. In the case of a car accident, this would be the at-fault driver’s auto insurance provider. Homeowners and businesses also generally carry insurance that would cover the costs associated with a slip and fall accident, and doctors typically have malpractice insurance coverage.
However, it is important to keep in mind that the majority of insurance companies are businesses that operate on a for-profit business model. This means that their main priority is to make money, not to pay compensation for those who have been injured.
A business model that has a foundation rooted in amassing profits does not seem like it would be much help to those who are injured and need financial support to recover. Anyone who has ever had to deal with an insurance company knows just how difficult it can be to secure compensation or payment for things that are clearly stated in their policy’s coverage. Just trying to talk to the right person or department can take hours of being transferred and waiting on hold.
When you are trying to secure the maximum possible compensation for your injuries, you should avoid quickly settling your personal injury case.
What Are Your Future Needs?
Accident injuries can be exceptionally complicated. Some injuries are not immediately apparent, and may instead start to develop symptoms over time, such as:
- Soft tissue injuries
- Back injuries
- Head injuries
When you accept a settlement offer before you even know the full extent of your injuries, you risk settling for much less money than you need to recover and pay your medical bills. Bills associated with medical care are often quite steep, so you may need help paying for:
- Surgery
- Ambulance rides
- Emergency room visits
- Doctor’s office visits
- Specialty appointments
- Prescription medications
- Physical therapy
You also need to consider potential future needs. For example, how long will you need medical care for this particular injury? What will the costs associated with that care be? Will you be able to work, or will you need compensation for your lost income?
While on the surface these answers might seem easy, they can actually be quite complicated. Calculating how much compensation you will need for specific types of medical care over the following months, years, or even decades is a time-consuming task that requires expertise and knowledge. Our personal injury attorneys have more than 150 years of combined experience doing just that.
We know that when the insurance company tries to get you to settle quickly, they are really trying to get you to take less than you deserve.
What Is Your Personal Injury Claim Worth?
The insurance company will try to tell you that your claim is only worth a certain amount. This is often an undervalued figure that does not take into account the full scope of your injuries. Depending on the type of accident and extent of your injuries, you might be able to secure financial compensation for:
- Medical bills
- Loss of income
- Loss of future income and earnings
- Household expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
Valuing the worth of each of the above is a complicated task that requires specialized knowledge. Personal injury lawyers often consult with medical experts to accurately value things like the cost of medical care, both current and in the future. When you push to settle your personal injury claim quickly, you are possibly leaving compensation on the table.
Avoid Settling Your Personal Injury Claim Too Quickly
You deserve every opportunity to make the best recovery possible. If you are dealing with something severe like a traumatic brain injury, a neck injury, or damage to your spinal cord, you need plenty of time, support, and medical care. The only way to make sure you can focus on these aspects of your recovery is to have enough financial support along the way.
This is what makes the compensation secured through a personal injury claim key to your overall health and well-being. At DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC, we have the knowledge, experience, and know-how to make sure our clients know the true value of their claims. We deal with the insurance company so you don’t have to, and we’ll help you understand why you would not want to quickly settle your personal injury case.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, slip and fall, or any other type of accident that was not your fault, contact us to schedule a no-obligation consultation. We are confident in our ability to help you through this difficult period of life, and we never charge for case evaluations.
