Head and Brain Injuries Lawyers

Head and Brain Injuries Lawyers: Tips for Getting the Best Personal Injury Settlement.

Once you decide to file a personal injury claim, you want to do everything you can to maximize your potential compensation. A crucial part of making a full recovery is ensuring you get adequate compensation for your injuries. Having experienced and reputable head and brain injuries lawyers Atlanta increases your chances of getting the best personal injury settlement.

What you do after suffering a head/brain injury matters, and there are several things you can do to make the most of your compensation claim. Understanding what aspects of your personal injury case are in your control can help you get the maximum amount possible.

After a car accident, slip and fall injury, or other accident, you want to resolve your case as quickly and fairly as possible, but how do you know what is fair?

If you are making a compensation claim following a car accident, at some point you need to consider the amount you would be willing to accept to settle your claim (most accident cases end up settling well before trial). Devise your best strategy for negotiating your personal injury settlement after an accident.

Once the settlement negotiation process starts to heat up in your case, you will need to have an effective strategy in place to ensure you get the best settlement possible. These SEVEN essential tips will make a great start. Read on and follow them.

Have a Specific Settlement Amount in Mind

In putting together your personal injury settlement demand letter, you figured out a range of what you believe your claim is worth. You decide on a minimum settlement figure you would accept within that range before you speak to an insurance adjuster about your demand. This figure is for your own information. It isn’t something you would reveal to the adjuster.

But it helps if you already have your bottom line in mind before the offers and counter-offers start going back and forth.

Remember that you don’t have to cling to the figure you originally set for yourself. You may have to lower your minimum figure somewhat if the adjuster points out facts you hadn’t considered but which clearly make your claim weaker.

And if the adjuster starts with a low settlement offer or a number at or near your minimum—or if you discover evidence that makes your claim stronger—you may want to revise upward. Our Atlanta head and brain injuries lawyers at Bobe & Snell Law Office LLC can help you determine the value of your claim and help you in settlement negotiations.

Do Not Jump at a First Offer

It is common practice for insurance adjusters to begin settlement negotiations by first offering a very low amount. With this tactic, the adjuster is trying to find out whether you understand what your claim is worth, and your patience.

When the first offer is made, your response should depend on whether it is reasonable but too low, or so low that it is clearly just a tactic to see if you know what you are doing. If the offer is reasonable, you can make a counteroffer that is a little lower than the amount you asked for in your demand letter.

That shows the adjuster that you, too, are being reasonable and are willing to compromise. A little more bargaining should quickly get you to a final settlement amount you both think is fair. In these negotiations, do not bother to go over all the facts of the case again. Just emphasize the strongest points in your favor—for example, that the insured was completely at fault.

Get the Adjuster to Justify a Low Offer

If the adjuster makes an offer so low in your first conversation that it’s obviously just a negotiating tactic to see if you know what your claim is really worth, do not immediately lower the amount you put in your demand letter.

Instead, ask the insurance adjuster to give you the specific reasons why they made a low offer. Make notes of the conversation. Then write a brief letter responding to each of the reasons the adjuster has provided.

One of our experienced and reputable Atlanta head and brain injuries lawyers can help you craft a proper reply letter to the adjuster’s unreasonably low settlement offer.

You can lower your demand slightly depending on the strength of the adjuster’s reasons, but wait to see whether the adjuster will budge before going any lower. The next time you speak with the adjuster, begin by asking for a response to your reply letter.

The adjuster should now make you a reasonable offer that can lead to a fair final settlement amount.

Emphasize Emotional Points in Your Favor

During negotiations, mention any emotional points supporting your claim. For instance, if you have sent the adjuster a particularly strong photo of a severe-looking injury or a smashed car, refer to it.

If there was a bottle of beer found in the other driver’s car, refer again to the possibility of alcohol use. If similar accidents had occurred in a similar way at that location, remind the adjuster.

If your head/brain injury interfered with your ability to care for your child, mention that your child suffered as a result. While there’s no way to put a dollar value on these factors, they can be extremely powerful in getting an insurance company to settle a personal injury claim.

Wait for a Response

Never reduce your demand twice without an intervening increased offer from the adjuster; it is simply not good bargaining. Don’t reduce your demand more than once until you have a new offer from the adjuster.

If the adjuster comes up with more reasons for a low offer, go over each one. Once you have dealt with all the adjuster’s arguments, you’ll either get a reasonable offer, or you’ll have found out that no reasonable offer is coming and therefore, try to put some more pressure on the insurance company.

Know When To Engage an Attorney

If at some point you feel negotiations aren’t going as you had expected, you might consider talking to a personal injury attorney, especially if:

You’re demanding compensation for serious injuries and pain and suffering beyond a few thousand dollars.An insurance adjuster is unlikely to take an unrepresented claimant seriously when claimed damages add up to tens of thousands of dollars or more.
You’re seeking future damages.If you’re claiming costs of medical treatment you will need later or lost future income, you may want a lawyer to work that into your settlement effectively.
There is a question of fault.You may need an attorney to help you properly craft your argument if there’s some question as to who was at fault for the accident.

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