You don’t always have to go the personal injury lawsuit route to recover maximum compensation for your injuries after a California accident. However, maximizing personal injury insurance claims can be challenging unless you understand the process and the strategies that insurance companies use to get you to settle for less than what you deserve.
Insurance companies are aggressive when it comes to protecting their profit. That means you need to take an aggressive stance and build a strong claim, backed by evidence, that supports your assertion that you deserve fair compensation for your injuries and accident-related losses.
Maximize Your Personal Injury Insurance Claim from the Start
Most accident victims don’t realize that maximizing their personal injury compensation starts immediately after an accident. The steps you take following an accident can improve or diminish your chances of pursuing maximum compensation for your injuries. The first things you should do to protect your rights and put yourself on the right path for recovering the money you need should include:
- Contacting the authorities/reporting the accident
- Documenting the scene as thoroughly as possible with photos and videos
- Asking witnesses for a brief statement and their contact information
- Exchanging information with the other parties involved
- Seeking immediate medical attention for your injuries
- Contacting an experienced Huntington Beach lawyer for help
You should also be aware of what you say in the aftermath of an accident. Never apologize; this can be seen as an admission of guilt or fault.
Records and Documentation
In the days and weeks after the accident, there are also things you must do to help support your claim. Explicitly follow your doctor’s treatment plan and keep detailed records of your injuries, treatments, and how your injuries impact daily life. Medical records are vital to an insurance claim. Without ample documentation of the extent and severity of your injuries, an insurance company can deny your claim or justify paying you less because there is a lack of evidence that your injuries are serious.
You are also going to need to document everything. In addition to your medical expenses, you’ll need to keep detailed records of your out-of-pocket costs, repair receipts, and records showing your time missed from work.
Dealing with the Insurer
Notify your insurer and file a claim with the at-fault individual’s insurance company. Many insurers have strict timelines and instructions for filing a claim, so take the time to review the process and ensure everything is as accurate and detailed as possible. However, be wary of providing an official or recorded statement without consulting an attorney. You should never give an official statement to an insurance adjuster until you speak with an attorney who can help you navigate the claim process. Missing minor details, providing inaccurate information, or forgetting to include information can jeopardize your claim and potentially be used against you by the insurance company to deny or diminish your claim.
The insurance company investigates the accident and completes an insurance adjuster evaluation. Then, it will reach out to you with an initial settlement offer. It is seldom in your best interest to accept an initial offer. These are lowball settlements that capitalize on the fact that vulnerable accident victims may be desperate for a quick payout to help them stabilize their financial situation. It is an effective tactic that pressures victims into accepting less than what their claim may be worth. To maximize your compensation, you will need to be patient and negotiate.
Engage a Personal Injury Lawyer
The best way to maximize your personal injury compensation is to work with an experienced Huntington Beach personal injury attorney. An attorney doesn’t just prepare lawsuits; they can help you navigate the ins and outs of filing a solid compensation claim that gives you the best opportunity to recover the money you deserve. An attorney can gather and preserve evidence critical to your claim and aggressively negotiate on your behalf, letting the insurance company know you mean business and won’t be bullied by their insurance adjuster tactics.
Maximizing insurance payout comes down to liability determination in insurance claims and evidence that supports your position.
Common Challenges in Personal Injury Insurance Claims
Insurance companies are for-profit entities. They aim to reduce liability and pay the accident victim as little as possible to maximize their profit margins. Some of the common pitfalls and challenges that accident victims face as they manage the personal injury claim process can include:
- Not seeking medical attention immediately
- Not following their doctor’s instructions
- Failing to keep detailed records of their accident-related expenses
- Failing to collect evidence at the scene of the accident
- Speaking to the insurer or negotiating without an attorney
- Posting to social media accounts after an accident
Insurance Company Tactics
Again, the insurance company is looking for anything it can use to diminish or deny your claim. Without medical records and documentation, you cannot prove the severity of your injuries or that you were injured from the insurance company’s perspective.
One tactic insurers use is to lay a portion of the blame for the accident on your shoulders. If you do not have ample evidence establishing liability, such as a police report, witness statements, and photographs of the scene, you are making their job easier.
Another issue that most accident victims overlook is the prevalence of social media. Letting everyone know you are okay or need extra support because of an accident may seem like a good idea. Resist the urge to post on social media. Insurers and attorneys search for information they can use to deny or diminish your claim. Discrepancies between your social posts and your statements to the insurance company can jeopardize your claim. Even pictures posted of you at social events or enjoying a day out can complicate your claim and show an insurer your injuries may not be as severe as you claim.
Let a Huntington Beach Personal Injury Attorney Guide You Through the Claim Process
You don’t have to manage a personal injury insurance claim alone. The Huntington Beach personal injury lawyers at DJA Injury Attorneys understand insurance companies’ tactics and can fight to recover compensation for medical expenses and injuries.
Companies have a long list of reasons for the denial of insurance claims. Call our office today at (949) 229-7228 or contact us online and let us help you build a claim that combats those strategies and offers you the best chance to obtain the money you need to rebuild your life.
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