Maximize Your Settlement Amount by Seeking Immediate Medical Care

Doctor with Document — Roseville, CA — Frank Penney Injury Lawyers

Read the blog from Frank Penney Injury Lawyers in Roseville, CA below.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident and you want to maximize the settlement amount, seeking immediate, documented medical care is the #1 most important thing you can do.

Why?

Delays in seeking medical treatment tell the insurance company that your injuries are not serious. This may prompt the insurance adjuster will lowball your case. In short, medical treatment delays are a settlement killer.

“I Feel Fine, I Don’t Need a Doctor”

After many minor car accidents, many people report feeling just fine. This is typical. You may not feel any whiplash or other minor car accident injuries until a couple of days later. Your muscles need time to relax and actually feel the result of the collision in areas such as your neck, back, and jaw. You may also experience headaches at this point.

Bottom line: Don’t trust what you think your body is telling you. See a doctor immediately and document the visit.

Avoid Gaps in Your Treatment Plan

It is very important to stay within the guidelines of any treatment plan a doctor gives you. Any deviation, such as missing appointments, will be seen as a weakness by an insurance adjuster. Additionally, if you wait weeks or months to seek care, an insurance adjuster will characterize this as a gap in treatment, thus greatly reducing the opportunity for settlement.

Ask About Medical Treatment Through Settlement Without Charge

Attorneys often have relationships with doctors and chiropractors. These relationships allow them to set up medical treatment on a contingency basis. The attorney promises to the medical provider that, if they treat the patient through settlement without charge, the doctor will be paid after the case. This alleviates the immediate financial pressure on you – the injured party.

Inputs to Calculating Your Settlement

All attorneys will use a formula to calculate a proposed settlement amount. It will usually be based on proven success in past cases.

Inputs to the formula include medical bills (ambulance, emergency room, doctors, and chiropractors), property damage, and wage loss as a result of the accident.

A Pain and Suffering multiplier is usually part of the calculation as well. It typically ranges from 2.5 – 5 times the amount calculated from the medical bills and wage losses described above.

As an aside, be careful about seeking non-traditional care such as massage therapy because sometimes these bills will be denied by the insurance adjuster.

Aim High with Your Settlement Estimate

Remember, you cannot go back and ask for more, so it’s important to start higher recognizing that an insurance adjuster will likely come back with a counteroffer. The good news is that 95-96% of cases settle before ever going to trial. So, a skilled demand letter often yields the highest possible results in terms of settlement value.

Personal Injury Settlement Calculator from alllaw.com

A great resource to give you a rough idea of your possible settlement amount is this personal injury settlement calculator from All Law. One caveat: the calculator should only be used to get a general idea of what you can expect for your settlement. The ultimate settlement amount may vary considerably based on a wide variety of factors. You should use the calculator to determine if it even makes sense to pursue a personal injury claim and whether it makes financial sense to use a lawyer to handle the claim.

Settlement Calculator — Roseville, CA — Frank Penney Injury Lawyers

Car Accident and Personal Injury Settlement Payment Calculator

ECONOMIC DAMAGES

This is where you input all your medical bills even if you didn’t pay them out of pocket. If you didn’t seek any medical attention you should still enter an amount here by using the daily rate method. Don’t forget to consider estimated future medical expenses as well.

Economic damages also include things like damage to your car and lost earnings – both to date and estimated future lost earnings.

PAIN AND SUFFERING MULTIPLIER

The pain and suffering multiplier can vary but you should use your best judgment based on the length and severity of your injuries. For example, injuries requiring ongoing treatments for a long period of time would warrant a higher multiple.

As a rule, use 1.5 – 2 for minor injuries, 2-3 for more serious injuries, and 4-5 for very serious, long-term debilitating injuries.

TARGET SETTLEMENT CALCULATION

Your Target Settlement will be comprised of two numbers – Economic Damages and Non-Economic (Pain and Suffering). Once you have a good idea about what you think you deserve, take the figure to a personal injury attorney.

And remember that the attorney typically receives 33% of the settlement. So, take off 33% of the target settlement amount to figure how much you will receive.

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Our legal team understands that life can be very stressful after an accident of any type. The financial costs of your accident can add to that stress. When you are asking for help, this should make your life easier – not more difficult. That is why you do not have to worry about any upfront legal fees and expenses when you hire Frank Penney Injury Lawyers to handle your California personal injury case.

At Frank Penney Injury Lawyers, Frank Penney and his staff work on a contingency basis. This means you only have to pay a fee if you win your case. We will never charge a fee unless we obtain a settlement on your behalf. No win. No fee. Case closed.

This means there is no risk in asking Frank Penney Injury Lawyers for help. You get to benefit from Frank Penney’s years of experience, knowledge, and success without needing to stress about the cost. Call today to set up a free initial case assessment or to learn more.

When I first contacted the Law Offices of Frank D. Penney after my accident, I was frustrated with car insurance companies, and medical insurance companies; after all, I was in pain. He and his staff put me at ease instantly! It was such a relief to have someone working on MY BEHALF! They were able to settle my case for more than I initially thought it was worth. THANKS AGAIN!!!

- KRISTA H.

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