How an Atlantic City Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
Although some simple personal injury claims could reach resolutions without involving lawyers, claimants with legal representation typically recover higher compensation than those who don’t have lawyers. You should also know that we work with clients on a contingent fee basis, which means that you won’t pay anything unless we win your personal injury case.
Investigation of the Injuries and Accident
Your lawyer will investigate the circumstances of your claim and determine what happened during the accident, who might be liable for your injuries, the extent of your injuries, the treatment you received, and make a rough estimate of how much you can recover. You’ll need to give your lawyer the documentation you’ve collected about your case. Depending on the situation, your lawyer may also seek help from accident reconstruction experts and other specialists to investigate your case further.
Settlement Talks
Your lawyer may communicate directly with the other party’s lawyer and the insurance company. During the settlement talks, the lawyers will attempt to negotiate and agree on a fair settlement for both parties. Most claims settle during this step in the personal injury claim process. But if the parties can’t agree on a settlement, the claim becomes a lawsuit.
File a Personal Injury Lawsuit
Once your attorney has filed the lawsuit in court, litigation begins. This sets in motion the discovery phase, in which each party will investigate the defenses and claims of the other party.
Consider Mediation
The attorneys will once again try to settle after the discovery phase by going into mediation. During mediation, the parties, along with a neutral third party, will meet to discuss the case to see if they can settle out of court. Otherwise, the case will go to trial.
Dealing with Insurance Companies
Insurance companies are usually involved when paying for damages caused by an accident in a personal injury claim. But what you must realize is that insurance companies will always look out for their best interests. This means that they entice claimants with a fast but low settlement offer or deny their claims altogether. So when faced with the prospect of dealing with insurance companies, remember these essential guidelines.
Report the Accident Right Away
Inform the at-fault party’s insurer about the accident as soon as possible. Don’t assume that the party that caused the accident and your injuries will contact their insurer, especially if they’re at fault for the accident. When you report the accident, be extremely cautious about what you say.
Keep in mind that the insurance company is working for the other party and not for you, so they will try their best to either over-simplify or complicate the situation based on what you tell them. Insurance representatives are adept at manipulating conversations, and they could twist a seemingly harmless statement to assign liability for the accident to you. This is especially true if the insurer knows that you’re filing the claim on your own and without a lawyer to guide you.
Don’t Fall for a Quick Settlement
Insurance companies are usually determined to reimburse claimants the lowest possible amount that they can get away with. Sadly, they also often get away with this unfair practice. Representatives receive training to sniff out weaknesses and use claimants’ vulnerabilities against them to try and discredit the seriousness of their injuries and, in turn, reduce the damages they can claim.
A quick settlement offer is always lower than the compensation amount that a claimant deserves. The insurer will take advantage of your need for quick funds to pay for your mounting medical bills. They’ll also try to convince you that what they’re offering is the best offer that they can give and that you have to take it now while you still can.
Additionally, they’ll also send you a bunch of paperwork with language and terms that may be difficult to fully understand, so never sign anything unless you really understand the document. The settlement offer will require you to waive your claim to additional damages. This means that if you accept the offer, you cannot claim more damages if you realize later on that the offer didn’t pay for all of your actual damages.
Be Vigilant and Stand Your Ground
It’s also common for insurance companies to drag out the insurance claims process in hopes that claimants give up and settle for their low offer. But take note that these delays could cause you to lose your chance to recover appropriate damages through a personal injury claim. In New Jersey, you must file your claim within two years of your accident date. If you fail to file a personal injury claim within that time window, you’ll never get the opportunity to claim proper damages for your injuries.
It’s common to doubt whether you can take on an insurance company on your own, so don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our personal injury attorneys. Initial consultations, after all, are free. Plus, you won’t have to pay us a dime if we don’t win your case. We know the best ways to deal with insurance companies, and we’ll work hard to make sure that you secure the best possible results for your personal injury case.
Discuss Your Case with a Personal Injury Attorney
After sustaining injuries from an accident, plenty of people opt to just brush off their pain and go about their lives or, as mentioned above, accept a quick settlement from an insurance company instead of speaking to a lawyer and pursuing a personal injury claim. But in cases like these, the compensation that you might recover from a personal injury claim outweighs the costs and stress of dealing with insurance companies on your own or not doing anything at all.
Although most accident survivors are only concerned about paying off their mounting medical expenses, your claim might be worth far more money than you think. This is why having an experienced personal injury lawyer evaluate your claim is immensely vital. Your lawyer can help you figure out all the legal options that may suit your case, guide you through the claims process, and secure the best possible outcome for your claim.
New Jersey Car Accidents
In New Jersey, your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) policy will cover any injury you incur in a car accident—even if the other driver is at fault. PIP represents a kind of no-fault coverage and it does not provide compensation for non-economic damages, such as the pain and suffering that so often accompanies serious car accidents.
A New Jersey accident victim can—under certain circumstances—move a claim outside the no-fault PIP system and instead bring a legal case against the driver whose negligence caused the injuries.
Such circumstances can include when the injury victim has:
- Lost a body part
- Suffered significant scars or disfigurement
- Sustained fractured bones
- Lost an unborn child
- Sustained a permanent injury
- Died from the injuries incurred
New Jersey law and insurance companies can make car accident claims especially complicated, so you need experienced legal counsel on your side.
Other Personal Injury Cases in Atlantic City
While people often associate car accidents with personal injury claims, these cases can involve many other accidents and injuries. The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers commonly handles cases involving:
Each case will present unique legal issues, evidence required to prove liability, and damages that resulted from the injury. Our firm carefully evaluates each case on an individual basis to ensure we obtain the best results possible for each client, no matter what type of accident took place.
Handling Cases Involving Serious Injuries
If someone else’s negligence caused you serious, long-lasting, or even permanent injuries, you stand to face mounting medical expenditures and indeterminate total expenses with time. Such ongoing damages can include decreased earning potential and lost wages, long-term medical expenses, loss of companionship, and pain and suffering. A skilled personal injury attorney will help you effectively calculate your losses and bring a claim that accurately reflects those losses.
Medical Evidence to Support Your Claim
Once you received medical care for the injuries you sustained, document your medical expenses. Such expenses can include the following:
- Appointments for medical care and therapies
- Written medical and therapeutic instructions
- Printouts outlining your medical diagnoses
- Bills for medical treatments, emergency transportation, prescription medications, appointments with specialists, medical equipment, and support services
- Copies of medical notes to your employer
By carefully compiling the medical expenses related to your personal injury claim, you’ll help bolster your case by verifying the costs you’ve incurred.
Resolving Your Personal Injury Claim
Insurance companies are in the business of making a profit. While professional and legal standards hold them accountable, their commitment to the bottom line supersedes their motivation to provide you with full and just compensation. Before you accept an insurance settlement, then, consult with an experienced personal injury lawyer who will help you determine if the settlement adequately compensates you for your damages.
The complicated New Jersey personal injury claims process necessitates significant paperwork that can quickly overwhelm you. Trying to juggle all of this after an accident injured you isn’t a great plan. Allow your personal injury lawyer to work with you and guide your claim toward the compensation to which New Jersey entitles you.
Most parties will settle personal injury claims out of court. Informal settlements, in the form of negotiations between both sides, can furthermore take place at any time before your claim completely processes through the court system. If someone else’s negligence injured you and your attorney cannot negotiate acceptable terms with the insurance company or the at-fault party’s attorney, you and your legal counsel may file a civil complaint against that party.
If Someone Else’s Negligence Injured You, Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney
Despite the complications that personal injury claims pose, your rights and your rightful compensation matter. The experienced legal team at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers in Atlantic City has the skill, knowledge, and dedication to aggressively advocate for the compensation to which New Jersey law entitles you, so please contact us online or call our law firm at (215) 929-8166 to schedule a free consultation today.