Settling an Anne Arundel Car Accident Case
Following a car accident, an individual might consider settling an Anne Arundel car accident case. A person also has the option of refusing to settle and going to trial. The reason could be that the settlement offer does not compensate them for their injuries. It could be less than their medical expenses or less than their lost wages. Once a person accepts a settlement, they cannot recover further damages for their injuries. If a person wants to know more about how to settle their case, they should consult an intelligent and aggressive car wreck lawyer who could answer their questions.
Settlement Options Following a Collision
The individual decides whether they want to settle for any offers or to go to trial. The lawyer just helps them through that process. Going to trial can take years. Being involved in a trial and discovery process can be very time-consuming and very intrusive and a person could settle earlier rather than wait two years.
The options for settlement are a person’s lost wages, their future lost income, the person’s past pain and suffering, the person’s past medical bills and treatment, and any future pain and suffering and/or future medical treatment they may have and the cost of that future medical treatment. In other words, economic and non-economic damages.
Car Crash Settlement Process
The process of settling an Anne Arundel car accident case is the same for everybody. Usually, an attorney collects all of the medical bills, the person’s lost wage information, and their medical treatment records, puts together a settlement demand and presents it to the insurance adjuster. The insurance adjuster will evaluate it and will let the person know how much insurance coverage is available. Then the person starts the negotiation process aided by their attorney.
Calculating the Settlement Amount
When settling an Anne Arundel car accident case, the settlement amount is calculated based on the person’s medical expenses, bills, and lost wages. The settlement amount is decided between the attorneys, claims examiners or adjusters, the potential client, and the injured party.
Negligence on the part of the injured person can affect the settlement amount. Maryland is a contributory negligence state and has a complete bar of recovery. If the person is one percent responsible for their own injuries, the person does not get anything.
Timeline of a Car Accident Settlement
The person has three years from the date of the injury to bring a lawsuit. That’s the statute of limitations, so the person has three years to negotiate a settlement. Whether the process can be expedited or not depends on how quickly treatment is completed, information is collected, and settlement demands are presented.
In order for a person to ensure that they receive their settlement in a timely manner, the person should cooperate with their attorney and get all the information that the attorney needs to present to the insurance company, including filling out their wage form and signing the HIPAA authorization so attorneys can get the person’s medical records and bills quickly.
Issues When Negotiating a Settlement
The defendant side may argue that the person was responsible for the accident, but that may be incorrect. The insurance adjuster or examiner may cut the medical expenses that the person incurred, saying that the person’s treatment was too expensive.
The insurance company wants to settle the case very quickly and they may offer the person $500 within the first week after the accident. If the person cashes the check, they have actually settled their claim
Information to Bring to a Consultation
When heading to a consultation with a car accident lawyer, the potential client would need information like the name, the address, telephone number, insurance company claim number of the at-fault driver, the type of car that they were driving, whether or not they were the owner of the vehicle, the person’s own insurance company information, any and all medical records that they may have, the list of any medical providers that they have gone to already, and any claim numbers that have been filed for their insurance company and/or the at-fault insurance company. If the person has pictures of the scene or of the accident itself, those are useful. The person should also bring anything and everything to do with the accident itself.
Importance of Contacting an Anne Arundel Car Crash Lawyer
Settling an Anne Arundel car accident case can be difficult to do alone. Often, the insurance company does not have your best interests at heart and may try to persuade you to accept a settlement that is lower than what you deserve. A skilled car accident lawyer could examine the facts of your case and take them into account when negotiating a settlement on your behalf. Speak with a qualified car crash attorney that could advocate for you.
