10 Rules For Your Florida Car Accident Value
10 Rules For Your Florida Car Accident Value
If you have been hurt by another person in a car accident, you are entitled to compensation. The question is, to what extent? The answer is typically unknown right after an accident. After the crash, however, you can take certain steps to raise the value of your Florida car accident claim. Here’s how.
- Contact an Orlando car accident attorney who’s really going to talk to you. You need to be advised by your lawyer how to maximize your Florida car accident value. Each case is distinct. So each client’s advice I offer is different.
- Get to a doctor. You’re not going to get to the doctor fast enough. The safest option is the ER by ambulance from the scene if you’ve experienced an injury that requires emergency care. If your injury does not require immediate attention, it’s ok to talk to your attorney first.
- Tell your doctor about all of your concerns. Do not forget anything. If your leg is in pain, but your foot hurts more, don’t just concentrate on your foot. The reason is that the best proof that whatever body part was really hurting after some accident is what your doctor writes in your medical reports. Insurance companies will not trust you. You must report all the symptoms to the doctor.
- Do not miss doctor’s appointments. Make as many appointments as your doctor recommends. Generally, you will need to be treated by your doctor for several days a week for a few months. Once your doctor determines that you have reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI), he or she will release you from active care and instruct you to return as needed. During this course of active treatment, it is important that you do not miss appointments and that you do not leave large gaps in care. In order to get the compensation you deserve, you must follow your doctor’s instructions. Even when you are done with active care, while the case is ongoing, you should treat at least once a month. This will ensure that you maintain your health and that your symptoms are being documented for your lawyer.
- Stay in therapy until you achieve full medical progress. Your doctor determines that this is important. In certain circumstances, if you recover completely, your Florida car accident value will be worth very little or nothing. That means you can plan to remain in care for the remainder of your situation unless you want nothing in your wallet unless you completely recover. In most cases of injuries (with a few minor exceptions), the legislation does not provide for pain and distress damages under temporary circumstances.
6. Always listen to your doctor’s advice with an open mind. A recommendation from a medical doctor that includes surgery or injections, will increase the value of your case so it may be prudent to consult with a medical doctor at some point during your treatment. A good doctor will not recommend surgery or injections that you don’t need. However, you may not want to undergo the recommended treatment or you may not be able to proceed due to limited insurance policies. However, you should at least listen to what your doctors have to say with an open mind. A medical doctor can only recommend continued conservative therapy (chiropractic or physical therapy), medication therapy, injection therapy, or surgical intervention. If you go into a doctor’s office and say you won’t do any of these things, the doctor’s hands will be tied and they may not be able to evaluate you fairly and impartially. You may not get the recommendation that a doctor would have otherwise given you – and this can decrease the value of your case.
7. Keep away from social media. These profiles can and do be accessed by defense attorneys and insurance adjusters even if they are private. In ways that you can not imagine, they can use innocent posts against you to say that you are not injured.
8. Don’t exclusively rely on prescription and over the counter medication. You may take them, but other therapies may be required for your long term improvement and for the value of your case. If you do use medication at home, be sure to let your doctor know so that your efforts at home get documented in your medical records.
9. Do not speak to any insurance company until you speak to an Orlando auto accident attorney. The insurance company’s mission is to give you as little as possible for your medical treatment, injuries, property damage, and so forth. They are working to decrease your Florida car accident value. Sometimes they try to argue that you are not as injured as you say or that the accident was your fault. It’s impossible to grasp all the tricky ways they get you to make admissions that damage your case. For instance, if you say that you had the green light but didn’t look to see if someone would run the red light, they may try to argue that you are at fault for the accident. I could boggle your mind with the list of examples. Don’t fall into the traps insurance companies set up for you! The frightening thing is many insurance companies employ a different set of adjusters for those who are represented by counsel and those who are not. The insurance companies try to take advantage of those who are not represented.
10. If you cannot work, get the proper documentation. Jurors like those who do as hard as possible to better themselves. However, your injuries can be so severe that you are no longer able to work. If this is the case, make sure to get excuse notes from your doctor excusing you from work. You may consider asking your doctor if you can work with certain limitations. If your doctor believes this will work for you, ask him or her for a note outlining what your limitations at work are.