Guest Post by Dunya Carter

Note from Driverthink:  Generally we try to keep articles focused on safe driving tips but I thought this article would be of particular general interest.

Negotiating a settlement after suffering an injury in a car accident takes knowledge of the law and conviction about your rights. For those who would like to pursue a settlement to get the cost of any medical treatment needed as a result of the car accident without the help of a personal injury attorney the following tips will help:

Don’t close the door on negotiation. If you make a final statement that basically tells the insurance adjuster that you will not change your mind on the amount you want, they will send your file to their legal department and stop all dialogue. This is not in your best interest. You have a better chance of getting the maximum amount if you keep the discussion open.
 
Make sure you have a full set of documents that pertain to your personal injury case. The insurance adjuster will take you more seriously if you take your case seriously. The documents can be found online and from a clerk at the courthouse for a small fee. Keep a file of all the documents with you when you visit the insurance adjuster and keep copies at home. You do not need certified copies of your documents when you are negotiating a settlement claim for a car accident. Certified copies cost extra and are only needed if the negotiations fail and your case goes to court. Save your money in the hope they will not be needed.
 
When you get a copy of the police report read it carefully and find out if the attending officer assigned any blame to one of the drivers. If you were not to blame for the accident, this will help you establish your case. The report will contain a diagram of the position of the cars just before the accident and just after. The summary of the report will help give the attending officer’s conclusions about the accident. The details will be as accurate as possible, and the officer will testify directly from the report if the case goes to court.
 
The witness statements will also help your negotiations for a personal injury settlement if they agree with the attending officer about who was at fault. It will be helpful to personally speak with witnesses if it is possible. They need to be assured that you are only negotiating a settlement and have not filed a lawsuit. If they think that is the case, they may not talk to you.
 
Along with any medical costs because of the accident, include any loss of wages because of recovery time. The loss of wages confirmation should be in the proper form on company letterhead signed by the proper authority at your place of work.
 
Keep copies of all your bills relating to the accident whether you have paid them or not. This includes medicine, hospital stay and gas used for driving to the doctor appointments.  Along with your medical bills have a copy of your medical records. These records will help convince a claims adjuster that the insurance company should pay for your treatment. The chart that records your treatment is another good tool.

An insurance claims adjuster needs to settle your claim to be considered good at his job. If he can’t settle the claim, it will go to the legal department which will be very expensive for the insurance company. If you are organized and confident, you can convince a claims adjuster to negotiate the car accident settlement to your benefit.
 

This guest post was written by Dunya Carter, a marketing specialist from Australia. She writes articles for several blogs on topics ranging from marketing to travel. She is currently working as a consultant for Injury Settlement Guide, a website which gives answers to common auto accident settlement questions.