There is nothing wrong with taking part in negotiations with the insurance adjuster, after you have been involved in a car accident. Still, the choice to take part in such negotiations does not prevent the negotiating victim form starting a personal injury lawsuit.
Actions to take before contacting an attorney
Collect the evidence that can support the claims being made, regarding any damages. That means obtaining the police report for an automobile accident, or the incident report for any other type of accident.
Were pictures taken at the scene of the accident? Those can be added to the collected evidentiary material. Did any witnesses offer their account? Is there a way to contact that witness?
Assemble other important records. That would include medical documents and bills from doctors. Financial statements carry a great deal of weight. Each or them serves as evidence of a quantifiable loss, as per a Personal Injury Lawyer in Cambridge.
Actions to take after obtaining an attorney’s assistance
Together, the lawyer-client team must study any offer that might have come from the insurance adjuster. Does it come close to covering all the known and anticipated costs? Perhaps the adjuster should receive a letter with a copy of the doctor’s prognosis. Maybe a picture taken at the accident scene should get attached to such a letter.
Actions like that can bring home the need for more time, before the victim will agree to a settlement. Adjusters deserve a chance to review such evidence, and to consider the facts, as stated in a letter. Adjusters that do not want the insurance company to become the target of lawsuit make a sensible move, after receiving such a document (the letter with the attached photographs).
The steps to take if the adjuster still insists on an early settlement
This is the time when it becomes necessary to file a personal injury lawsuit. If the insurance company has not shown a readiness to consider the plaintiff’s/claimant’s arguments, then the plaintiff must arrange to meet that defendant (insurance company) in a courtroom. At this point, the client and lawyer should review the ways to weaken or eliminate any known elements of the defendant’s defense. It becomes the client’s job to avoid visiting any social media networks, and posting photographs on such a website.
Has the client’s recovery advanced to the point where it would make sense to experiment with performance of certain activities? That possibility should be discussed with the treating physician. Clients should tell their doctors their plans, if their recovery has reached the point where a previously impossible activity might have become possible. Completion of such precautions paves the way for the next move. It signals the client’s readiness to move forward, after having filed the lawsuit.
