Building a case for an accident or personal injury is naturally a process. As every person and case are different, it is hard to determine exactly how long it may take or at what point a client accepts an offer. Some lawsuits go to trial, whereas many cases settle out of court. Personal injury lawyers work for their clients. Although they can give valuable advice for your case, the decision to accept a settlement ultimately rests with the client. That being said, with the right negotiating power and skillful representation - and strong evidence - a good majority of cases are agreed upon before taking them to trial.
In a typical accident settlement, the 5 stages that a case follows include the following:
Treatment This phase concerns the treatment of and recovery from wounds and injuries. The most important thing to do for your health and your case is to attend medical appointments and follow the instructions of your doctors without fail. Your medical records and medical bills will be the key evidence that we will use to determine the value of your case.
Request for Medical Records and Medical Bills The time required for this phase will be contingent upon the number of doctors, hospitals, ambulance services and treaters whom you have visited. This phase does not begin until you have completed all of your medical treatment.
Preparation and Submission of Demand After you have documented your damages, take the time to understand your insurance policy, specifically regarding hurricane damages. Read through your coverage and get an idea on what you might expect in an insurance claim. This is not always easily done, as some insurance policies can often be extremely vague in what they cover or exclude and are often purposely written that way. If you find that you are having trouble understanding your policy, it is free and easy to contact a personal injury lawyer to review it with you.
Negotiation Immediately after receiving an offer from the insurance company, we begin efforts to maximize your award. Please note that we never finish or close your case without our client’s approval.
Closing After an offer is received and approved by you, we will work with your healthcare providers to help reduce balances due and the payments must be made so that there are no open accounts.
At Galindo Law, our accident attorneys are gifted in negotiations and extremely skilled at working with medical providers. It is our top priority to make sure our clients get the most from their accident or personal injury case. Whether by settlement or by verdict, we will go the distance to make sure you are represented and have the best support available.