Increase Value of Your Personal Injury Case: Part One

This will be part one in a series of posts on how to increase your personal injury settlement in Georgia. I hope these posts will be equally helpful to practioners and clients of those attorneys, whoever they may be. Of course, my mother would say that you should use her son as a personal injury attorney, but I will leave that up to you. Well, let us start with a pretty easy step to increase the value of your car accident settlement.

The first tip to increase the value of your case is to get the proper medical treatment. Now, I know that sounds easy, but it is not. Let me explain what I mean. (Note that in the below discussion I am assuming the other driver was at fault in the accident.) So, why is it not easy to do this?

Well, the same reason why you fail to take all of the antibotics the doctor prescribes.

Why do you stop? Because you start to feel noticeably better. You don’t feel perfect, but what a huge difference, right? Then, what happens next? You start to feel bad again. But, this time the same medicine will not work. You rush to finish the medication, but it is too late. Now, you are back at the doctor’s office. The same is true with going to the doctor. But, let me back up a second.

[sws_pullquote_left] Double check the accident report. Look for the place where the information about eyewitnesses. A good eyewitness can make a great deal of difference. [/sws_pullquote_left] After a car accident, your blood pressure will likely go through the roof. You have been involved in a traumatic sitiuation that your body and brain are attempting to put into order. Your adrenaline is high, causing a lack of ability to diagnosis your own body’s systems. I remember back when I played football that it was only hours after the game that the bruises showed themselves and the pain began in places I didn’t remember getting hit. The same goes with a car accident.

However, after the accident you may start to already feel something wrong. Perhaps, your neck is feeling sore or your upper or lower back. This is very common. So, back to the advice. Go to the hospital, for goodness sakes. And I mean, go to the hospital immediately and get checked out.

Now, the ER is really there to make sure you are not going to die and nothing is broken. In most minor to mild injuries, the ER will send you out with some Vicodin and Motrin. However, they will tell you that if you still feel poorly after two or three days to call back the hospital or contact your family doctor.

Follow this advice. If and when you go to your family doctor, they will probably refer you out to a physical therapist. Go to your appointments. Go to all of your appointments and communicate how you feel honestly.

Do not try to be a tough guy. Be a person who is concerned about their health.

[sws_pullquote_right] Be patient during the settlement process. Everyone wants a quick win, but time gets the best results. [/sws_pullquote_right] Towards the end you will start to feel better. Communicate this. When they tell you that you are done, then you are done (if you feel completely better, of course). Some days after therapy, you will feel worse than when you went in. Perhaps on most of those days this will be the case. Remember the antibiotics story that I told earlier. Finish the therapy to completely heal if you can completely heal with your injuries.

The McClelland Law Firm will negotiate your claim with the insurance company and let you get back to getting back to life. We represent client’s throughout the state of Georgia and clients from around the entire southeast. For a brief list of cities that we represent clients is Atlanta, Marietta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Duluth, Stone Mountain, Decatur, Lithonia, Jonesboro, Riverdale, McDonough and Macon. With an office in Atlanta and an office in Jackson, Georgia we are ready to handle your case and help you help us increase the value of your personal injury case.

For more information on Settlements in Georgia, see our post on recent policy limit settlement and settlement tip number two.