How Much to Expect from a Car Accident Settlement

You cannot know how much to expect from a car accident settlement until someone has taken a full inventory of your accident-related damages. Many victims allow an experienced car accident lawyer to complete this inventory. After speaking with your doctors and reviewing all other relevant documentation, your Tulsa car accident lawyer can explain how much a fair settlement is worth.

The value of a car accident settlement can vary based on your unique injuries and the other types of harm resulting from the collision.

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How Car Accident Lawyers Determine the Value of a Car Accident Settlement

Attorneys know very well that a car accident can create a broad range of damages. Your lawyer and their team will determine how much to expect from your car accident settlement by:

Speaking with You

When it is time to document pain and suffering, you become your lawyer’s most valuable resource.

Your attorney may:

• Ask you to keep a journal detailing the ways in which the accident has negatively affected your life
• Ask you to detail specific symptoms of pain and suffering
• Have you provide written testimony as documentation of your accident-related damages

Your lawyer will take any other steps to help prove your accident’s cost. After all, the cost of your accident will determine how much to expect from a car accident settlement.

Steps to Take After a Car Accident

Car accident victims are often at a loss about how to proceed after the collision. As a basic roadmap, you should:

Hire Your Lawyer as Soon as Possible

You should receive medical treatment for injuries immediately after the collision. However, hiring a car accident lawyer is the next priority.

Don’t delay in hiring an attorney because:

• Your lawyer can document the accident scene if you hire them soon after the collision
• Many types of evidence are time-sensitive
• You probably face a deadline for filing any legal action related to your car accident

In Oklahoma, for example, Okla. Stat. tit. 12 § 95 generally requires car accident victims to file a personal injury lawsuit within two years of a collision. Because car accident victims are often overwhelmed, these deadlines can slip by without the victim realizing it.

Seek and Continue Receiving Medical Care

Even if you received some medical care at the accident scene, undergo a complete evaluation to:

• Receive a definitive diagnosis for each of your injuries
• Receive necessary treatment for injury symptoms
• Learn what steps to take to promote recovery
• Secure documentation of your injuries, including but not limited to X-rays and other medical images

Documenting your injuries thoroughly places your case on strong footing. Your lawyer will use such documentation to prove your case value and negotiate a settlement with liable parties.

Trust Your Lawyer to Deal with Insurance Companies

Insurers will likely be involved in the post-accident process, perhaps in a significant way.

One or more auto insurers may:

• Request information about and documentation of your injuries
• Request estimates and invoices for vehicle repairs
• Conduct their own investigation of your accident-related losses
• Calculate how much compensation you deserve
• Offer a settlement

You may find that insurance companies offer lowball settlements. These companies may place their financial interests before yours, and your attorney will protect the best interests of your case when dealing with insurers.

Stick to Your Recovery Plan

Insurance companies and other liable parties may look for reasons to pay less compensation than you deserve.

If you do not follow your doctor’s recommendations, you can face accusations that:

• Your injuries aren’t as severe as your lawyer claims
• You have made your condition worse by failing to prioritize recovery
• You deserve less compensation than your lawyer is pursuing

The importance of following medical advice extends beyond your case. You want to heal as quickly and fully as possible, and sticking to your treatment plan may be the clearest way to reach maximum recovery.

Why Every Car Accident Victim Should Hire a Lawyer

At the very least, every car accident victim should consider hiring an attorney. Car accidents can leave you confused, in pain, and uncertain of what comes next. Having a lawyer can help because:

Your Lawyer Will Free You to Focus on Healing

Car accident victims have lives to manage. Suddenly, unexpected injuries force the victim to face the demands of recovery, too. You may be overwhelmed if you try to handle your own claim or lawsuit.

When you hire a lawyer to handle your case, you may have more time for:

• Rest
• In-home treatment
• Doctor’s appointments
• Rehabilitation
• Other medical needs

Nothing should come before your health. By trusting your case to a car accident lawyer, you keep your recovery at the top of your priority list.

Your Lawyer Will Use Their Experience in Your Favor

If you hire a lawyer with years of experience handling car accident cases, you may know that:

• The lawyer understands every aspect of insurance claims and lawsuits
• The lawyer can file a lawsuit on your behalf if necessary
• The lawyer can take your case to court if necessary
• Your legal team will be ready for whatever challenges come its way

It is difficult to explain how important experience is during a car accident case.

Law Firms Protect Car Accident Victims

Protecting you will be among your lawyer’s most important responsibilities.

Your legal team will safeguard your case by:

• Handling as many case-related responsibilities as possible (taking those duties off your hands)
• Creating a personalized roadmap for your case
• Helping you make any statements necessary to complete the insurance process
• Being constantly available to answer your questions and lend advice
• Providing specific instructions for what you should do as your case unfolds

Such protection is priceless when you are seeking a fair car accident settlement.

There Is No Out-of-Pocket Financial Risk in Hiring a Lawyer

Car accident lawyers typically offer contingency fees. These are results-based fees that:

• Require the law firm to pay all case-related expenses
• Require the client to pay no upfront costs or fees to the lawyer
• Only entitle the law firm to a fee if the firm gets a settlement or jury verdict for the client

Contingency fees have several benefits. For one, you won’t have to pay out of pocket for legal services. Secondly, your law firm will have a great financial incentive to complete your case successfully.

How Your Car Accident Lawyer Will Pursue a Settlement for You

Attorneys lead every step of their clients’ car accident cases, including:

• Securing evidence from the car accident: Your legal team will gather any witness accounts, video, photographs, police reports, and other evidence related to your accident. This evidence may prove who caused your accident and who should cover your damages.

• Working with experts: Experts can greatly strengthen a car accident case. Your law firm may hire mental health professionals, medical experts, and others to contribute to your claim or lawsuit. 

• Detailing the client’s damages: Your lawyer will secure any medical records, employment records, bills, diagnoses, and other records proving your damages. This documentation will be crucial to your case’s success, as it will play a central role in settlement negotiations.

• Calculating a fair settlement value: Your legal team will establish the exact value of your accident-related damages. The settlement value will include both current and future damages of the economic and non-economic sort.

• Completing settlement negotiations: Your lawyer’s experience will be important when negotiating a settlement. Attorneys understand how difficult negotiations can be, and they will have various strategies for securing the compensation you deserve.

• Completing any necessary trial: Your lawyer may take your case to trial if settlement negotiations do not lead to an agreement. The trial involves organizing the case, questioning witnesses, presenting evidence, and handling the unpredictable aspects of the court process.
• Handling the administrative aspects of the case: Your legal team will draft and file documents, handle communications, and oversee the other details of your case.

 

Law firms are truly full-service operations. You won’t have to worry about any aspect of your case. Even if you need to make statements or participate in any other aspect of your case, your lawyer will walk you through these steps.

Damages That Are Often Part of Car Accident Settlements

The severe impact of car accidents can cause devastating injuries that lead to:

Medical Costs

Medical expenses resulting from your car accident may result from:

• Ambulance or Medevac transport from the accident scene
• Emergency medical care
• Medical imaging (including but not limited to X-rays)
• Hospitalization
• Surgery
• Medications

Some car accident victims receive plastic surgery and other services due to scarring and other disfiguring injuries. Your attorney will account for any such services when valuing your case.

Lost Income (Among Other Professional Damages)

You may face several professional losses because of your car accident, potentially including:

• Lost income
• Lost performance bonus opportunities
• Lost promotion opportunities
• Diminished earning capacity
• Permanent inability to work

Your lawyer will learn about your job, how injuries have diminished your ability to do your job, and the professional damages resulting from your accident.

Pain and Suffering

Every accident victim endures pain and suffering, and your lawyer will identify the pain and suffering resulting from your crash.

This may include:

• Immediate and long-term physical pain
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Substance use issues (which may be a form of self-medication for physical and psychological pain)
• Sleep issues
• Lost quality of life

Attorneys often trust mental health professionals to diagnose their client’s pain and suffering. Such experts may also provide services to improve the symptoms of your pain and suffering.

Property-Related Expenses

Your lawyer will include property-related expenses in your case, which may include:

• Replacement of a totaled car
• Repairs for your car
• Temporary transportation costs
• Replacement of personal property damaged during the accident

If you suffer any other damages because of the collision, your lawyer will include those damages in their settlement demands.

If you lost a loved one because of a car accident, a lawyer will evaluate the effects of the wrongful death. Your lawyer will seek compensation for you and any loved ones affected by the passing.

Hire Your Car Accident Attorney to Fight for a Settlement Today

Do not delay before hiring your Tulsa personal injury attorneys; they want to start fighting for a fair settlement as soon as possible.

 

 

 

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