Want to Get the Most Out of Your Boca Raton Personal Injury Claim?
If you were injured in an accident, you may benefit from at least 11 tips on getting the most out of your Boca Raton personal injury claim. After your personal injury settlement process unfolds, you must have a winning strategy in place.
Almost 3,300 Floridians were involved in a road accident in 2019. If you or someone you love has been injured due to another driver’s negligence, you need the help of an experienced Boca Raton personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
Tip #1: Stay Transparent with Your Personal Injury Lawyer
Tell your personal injury lawyer everything. Hide nothing, not even details you assume are unimportant or at fault. Your lawyer’s job is to decide what’s important and what’s not in the case, such as any preexisting injuries or medical conditions. Your law firm performs at its best when you provide all of the relevant details.
Tip #2: Don’t Discuss Your Case Details with ANYONE
Don’t discuss your incident until you hire a personal injury lawyer who will guide you through the maze of personal injury law. Anything you say may be used against you by the presumed negligent party—and a casual comment can cause you to lose money. That is why you should stay mum about your personal injury claim is safely in the hands of your attorney.
With this in mind, don’t talk to insurance company personnel or providers. Never discuss anything about your case with the other driver’s insurance company. Don’t provide a statement to the insurance adjuster. Understand that the insurer wants to manipulate you. Their agents want you to say something that detracts from your personal injury case.
When in doubt, wait for your personal injury lawyer to handle these communications. Their seasoned experience will help you to prevail in the legal battle.
Tip #3: File a Lawsuit Against the Negligent Driver
If you were injured by another driver in Boca Raton, Florida, you almost certainly have a police report. If the other driver received a ticket, if other drivers witnessed the event and clearly recognized that the other driver was at fault, you may ask why it’s necessary for you to file a legal claim against them.
Shouldn’t the negligent driver’s insurance company want to settle the claim of their insured?
You should strongly consider filing a personal injury claim against the negligent driver. If you lost time at work or can’t fulfill your personal obligations as you heal, you are entitled to just compensation, including pain and suffering in some cases.
You may have concerns about healing from your injuries, how much time you need to mount a legal battle, and whether you can afford to hire an attorney to sue the other driver and their insurance company.
Know that your personal injury lawyer is paid only after you receive compensation from the negligent driver and their insurance company.
Many injured people don’t ask these questions before filing a lawsuit. Family and close friends may help the injured party find a specialist Boca Raton personal injury lawyer to handle the matter.
However, even if you are seriously injured in an accident, you aren’t required to sue the negligent driver. The laws of Florida don’t require you to file a personal injury lawsuit.
If you don’t feel you can handle the rigors of a personal injury claim, it’s okay. You’re likely to hear from the other driver’s insurance company. They may offer to pay you a smaller amount of money if their insured was clearly at fault. However, the compensation offer will be substantially lower than the amount you’d receive if you hire a personal injury lawyer to handle the case.
Tip #4: Beware of Lawyers Who Promise Too Much and Do Too Little
Beware of personal injury lawyers who don’t listen. A lawyer promises you thousands in compensation now without bothering to really consider your Boca Raton personal injury claim. Realize that not all personal injury lawyers are the same. You’ll need an experienced personal injury law firm to manage your claim from start to finish. Look for an attorney who listens. You will need their well-honed negotiation skills to settle or try your case in court.
Tip #5: Do Your Research
After assembling the facts of your case, study cases like the one you will file.
Were these cases successful in court? Were the cases settled for an appropriate amount of compensation? Researching your case and those like it may be helpful. Will your case be resolved before trial? Is it a quality claim or what some insurance companies call a nuisance matter?
Ask a personal injury lawyer to obtain a better idea of how your case will fare. They will have good information about personal injury claims results in Florida.
Tip #6: Seek Medical Attention Immediately
Immediately after a Florida highway or road accident, you probably consulted a doctor or hospital emergency room about your injuries. You may have been taken directly from the accident scene to the hospital for immediate treatment.
Make sure that your physician is on your side. Your attending doctor’s reports are critical to winning your Boca Raton personal injury claim. If the doctor feels that your injuries aren’t related to the recent accident, that’s a big problem! Because your doctor is viewed as an expert, their testimony will either make or break your case.
Discuss your Boca Raton personal injury claim with an experienced law firm as soon as possible.
Tip #7: Document the Evidence in Your Case
Good quality evidence is the foundation of your lawsuit.
Documentation is also crucial to winning your Boca Raton personal injury claim. Use a camera to document the accident scene. Capture proof of the bad weather on the night of the accident in images. Share written documents relating to the accident with your Boca Raton personal injury lawyer.
Collect anything (everything) that seems relevant.
Your case will not prevail without complete evidence. Preserve details from the scene if possible, including photos you took immediately after you were injured. If there were witnesses involved, write down their contact details right away. Request a police report copy as soon as it’s available for your records.
If you don’t perfectly capture every detail, do the best you can. Present your evidence to the personal injury law firm in your corner. They will use the documents and evidence collected to create detailed statements to strengthen your case.
Tip #8: Don’t Exaggerate When Discussing the Case
If you’ve been injured in an accident that was not your fault, avoid exaggeration when possible. You may want to discuss your ongoing legal action with friends, co-workers, or family members. It’s sometimes easy to overemphasize the details.
Don’t allow anyone to take the meaning of your words out of context. Don’t give them a chance to use your words against you.
Tip #9: Focus on the End Results of Your Personal Injury Lawsuit
Remember, you and your Boca Raton personal injury lawyer are a team. Never argue with your personal injury attorney. Don’t upstage them in front of others. This isn’t a competition. If you don’t agree with something your lawyer says or suggestions, talk about it privately. Agree to disagree but find a common strategy. You must work together to successfully win the legal battle.
Above all, remain patient. It’s easy to feel stressed when civil claims like a personal injury lawsuit aren’t immediately resolved. In the interim, stay up to date with your attorney. Stay in regular contact but don’t be a pest. Call your personal injury lawyer every one to two weeks for a status report. Send any documents or information they request as soon as you can.
Tip #10: Sometimes, Settling Your Case Before Trial is Best
Lawsuits can be stressful. You might not need to go to trial when your personal injury law firm negotiates a fair settlement. Accepting a settlement allows you to resolve the case and put the past behind you.
Tip #11: Choose the Right Personal Injury Lawyer
This tip may seem obvious but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Don’t choose a personal injury lawyer based on a rumor. Review the personal injury lawyer’s experience and skills first. Understand more about the personal injury law firm’s reputation before selecting your lawyer. Consider how well he communicates and, in particular, how well he listens. Then make an educated choice to make the personal injury process easier on you and those you love.
If you need a personal injury lawyer, contact the Bodden and Bennett Law Group in Boynton Beach, Florida. Our experienced personal injury team is standing by to help you navigate the path to justice. Call us now to schedule your free case evaluation: (561) 806-5229.