PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM ADVICE - THE THREE MONTH FACTOR
When you're injured by the fault of another, an insurance company policy almost always comes into play, especially in the context of an auto accident, fall at a private home or business or a dog bite just to name a few examples. An insurance company handling a claim has two main goals: minimizing costs and managing risk by obtaining information about the incident in their favor as quickly as possible. They will do everything they can to resolve the claim quickly and often before you fully know your medical condition and your legal rights under the claim. They want to reach a settlement agreement by which you receive a sum of money and the insurer and their insured/possible defendant is released from further liability in connection with your injuries, regardless of any unknown or long term injuries to you. Before a settlement can be reached, both sides must be in agreement about the total damages. In a personal injury case, any settlement should compensate the injured party for their medical bills, pain, suffering and inconvenience and might also include such items as lost wages. One of the biggest reasons that a fair number of treatment costs cannot be immediately determined is that you may not have fully healed. The full extent of an injury can sometimes take three to six months to surface.
"We caution our personal injury clients on settling too early. Even if you don’t need our services due to minor, if any injuries, we recommend waiting at least three months before you agree to a settlement so that you know the extent of your injuries and your total damages. Many plaintiffs will benefit from waiting to fully heal from their injuries to reach a point in treatment called "maximum medical improvement" or MMI. MMI is the point where you cannot progress any further from treatment and have been returned to your pre-accident condition. It is distinguished from fully-healed in many instances because sometimes an injury will result in permanent effects that cannot be treated by medicine, such as partial immobility," states Wayne Williams attorney of Mapp, Mapp, & Klein.
Because they want to control risk and costs, insurance Companies do not want you to retain an attorney in most personal injury cases. While some cases can be resolved in pre-litigation, often the cases can and need to go into litigation to get you fair compensation. There is no minimum or maximum amount when it comes to injury settlements. Every case is different in terms of strengths and weaknesses, and what is at stake. The amount of a settlement in a personal injury case depends on many factors. That is why it is extremely important to contact an experienced attorney that can make sure you are fully compensated and treated fairly.
The attorneys of Mapp, Mapp, & Klein. have have handled thousands of personal injury cases and have worked both for and against insurance companies.
You can trust that we have the expertise and caring manner to help make sure you are awarded fair compensation based on your case.
