How can your Philadelphia personal injury attorney get you the best value for your injuries? Read on to learn the five best ways to increase the value of your personal injury settlement.
- PURSUIT AND PRESERVATION OF EVIDENCE
Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers know that one of the most important actions they can take to increase the value of a personal injury case is to aggressively pursue and preserve evidence. They know what actions must be taken early in the process such as ordering medical records; reviewing police reports; and collecting witness statements, photographs, and videos. The presence or absence of these crucial forms of evidence could determine whether your lawsuit is successful or not. Much of the critical evidence is in the possession of the defendant and if those items aren’t requested early in the process, the defendant might destroy them, even inadvertently. Thus, you need an experienced Pennsylvania personal injury attorney to pursue and preserve any and all necessary evidence.
- CLIENTS ALSO NEED TO SAVE EVIDENCE
Your personal injury attorney will aggressively seek as much evidence as possible, but the clients, themselves, need to do some work too. Personal injury clients usually have firsthand access to medical records, financial documents, police reports, photographs, and videos, and all of these items can be useful in increasing the value of your personal injury case.
- CLIENTS NEED TO DOCUMENT THE EXTENT OF DAMAGES
Let’s say you coached your kids’ soccer teams for years until you were injured. You also played soccer on an intramural team. Now, as the result of your personal injury, you can no longer play soccer or even coach your kids’ teams. How do you prove that you were once a great player and coach? Photographs, trophies, etc. How do you prove that you’re too injured to play and coach? Document your physical struggles, journal your pain, take photos/videos of yourself on days you cannot get out of bed. How you were before your injury and how you suffer since your injury all help to increase the value of your personal injury case. And you are in the best position to attain and collect this evidence.
- BE PATIENT
At times, insurance companies might reach out to you and try to settle the case early “before getting lawyers involved.” This is a mistake. Whatever amount the insurance company tells you they will settle the case for is typically far less than what a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer can collect for you. Don’t be tempted to settle the case early with an insurance company. Get a lawyer involved so that your lawyer can get you the highest possible value of your case.
- LISTEN TO YOUR LAWYER
Your best chance of getting the most value out of your personal injury settlement is to listen to your lawyer and follow their advice. Your personal injury lawyer has years of experience trying similar cases, has worked against many defense firms and insurance companies, and knows the ins and outs of the Pennsylvania judicial system.
To find an experienced Pennsylvania personal injury attorney, contact the lawyers at VSCP Law.
