Five Things You Can Do To Get A Larger Settlement On Your Personal Injury Case
Once you agree to a settlement regarding your personal injury case, you won't be able to get any more compensation from the defendant afterwards. It's in your best interest to get the biggest possible settlement so that you have the money to pay your medical bills in full and get back on your feet again.
The following are five tips on how you can maximize your settlement:
Be conscientious about collecting evidence from the time your injury occurs until trial
Your case is going to rely entirely on the evidence that you can present to support the allegations you make regarding the defendant. Therefore, the quality of the evidence is of major importance in determining whether or not you get a settlement and how much that settlement is for.
You can use photographs of the accident scene, eyewitness testimony, medical records, police reports, surveillance camera footage, and more to back up your case. Carefully collecting this evidence is extremely important when you're trying to maximize your settlement.
Make sure you're keeping up on treatment
The defendant's lawyer is definitely going to use the fact that you've slacked on your medical treatment against you. If you're not following through with recommended treatment, you will appear like you lack integrity in seeking money for your medical bills.
You therefore need to schedule and attend all recommended medical appointments and follow the doctor's orders as closely as possible.
Don't exaggerate about your injury damages
You shouldn't consider a personal injury case like a business negotiation where you exaggerate initially to improve your standing. You should simply present information accurately and honestly. Never exaggerate your injury because the defendant's lawyer will notice and will attack your credibility based on this dishonest exaggeration.
Be professional when dealing with everyone involved
Image is important when it comes to personal injury cases. Dress well and always behave with courtesy. A jury will pick up on a lack of maturity or professionalism, and the defendant knows this.
You'll be more threatening to the defendant--and incite a higher settlement offer from that defendant--if you always appear professional, determined, and credible.
Don't hide information about previous injuries related to your current injury
It's not uncommon in a personal injury case for an accident to aggravate a pre-existing injury. If this has happened in your case, hiding the previous injury could detract from your credibility and make it look like you're looking for compensation from the defendant just to pay your bills and not because the defendant actually caused the injury.
Honesty is the best policy. Be transparent about your medical history and clarify that the accident aggravated an injury you had already but still caused you unfair damages because of the defendant's negligence. Contact a firm such as James Lee Katz to learn more.
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