How to Claim for Personal Injury

Personal injury is a term used to describe a wide range of injuries and accident types that one might need to claim compensation for. Personal injury claim may involve different types of injuries, including slip and fall accidents, automobile accidents, faulty goods or services, work injuries, traffic accidents, crime injuries, psychological illness caused by discrimination at workplace, psychological illness caused by stress at work or psychological illness suffered as a result of child abuse or domestic abuse.

The real truth is that accidents are inevitable and when someone else is involved, you have the right to compensation.

Why Should You Make a Claim for Personal Injury?

As a victim of personal injury, you may have various reasons for wanting to file a personal injury claim. One of the common reasons is the need for compensation for the pain and suffering you endured as a result of the injury. The second reason is incurred medical bills. Another reason is the loss of income, which can be a big cause of worry as you’ll no longer be able to pay your bills and other expenses for a certain period of time. If the injury left you paralyzed or rather unable to work again, filing a personal injury claim is only an understatement.

Another reason for filing the claim is to obtain a sense of justice for yourself or if you lost a loved one as a result of the injury.

How to Claim for Personal Injury- Steps and Tips

Personal injury claims are usually complicated and time-consuming. One, the person or company you’re filing the lawsuit against will certainly contest, leading to a long, tiring battle that may take weeks, months, or even years. This is why it’s important to familiarize yourself with the personal injury claim law to increase your chances of winning the claim.

This article has laid out a few important steps you should follow while filing for the claim. There are also some tips to guide you and help you determine the best course of your action.

Actions to Be Taken

First things first, there are a few important actions you should take right after the injury. These actions will play a crucial role in your claim.

• Seek medical help immediately: Don’t attempt to handle any claims before getting medical assistance especially if you’ve been seriously injured. Also, the doctor’s medical report may be required by the court to verify the extent of your injuries.

• File a Police Report: Filing a police report is very important as the court might require the report in case you decide to file a lawsuit. This report may contain the names, contacts, and addresses of the parties that were involved in the accident.

• Gather evidence about the accident and injury: This many include photographs of the accident scene, damaged vehicle, and other important pieces of evidence.

• Keep accurate records of the Costs and Expenses relate to the Injury: These may include medical bills, drug expenses, property damage costs as well as insurance records. You may also include records of lost wages. It’s also advisable to make a well-written count of the injury. It might help you win the case.

• Notify the responsible party/parties of your lawsuit: If you intend to make a claim for personal injury, it’s important to notify the parties involved to help them prepare themselves. Leaving them in the dark may only make the situation even more complicated for you.

Determine How Much a Personal Injury Claim is Worth

Before making a claim, you need to have a settlement amount in mind. In this case, you need to figure out what your injuries have cost you physically, monetarily, and mentally.

The most common compensatory damages for personal injury cases include medical bills, income loss, property loss, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment.

Having a settlement amount in mind is important because you’ll know whether it meets your minimum level or not.

Please note that an insurance adjuster may begin their negotiations by offering a low settlement amount. Don’t settle for the first offer. You know what your settlement amount is worth and so you shouldn’t let them shake you down. All you need to do is emphasize your strongest points as to why you think the claim is worth that much. But ensure that the amount is at least reasonable to ensure smooth negotiations.

Know When to Engage an Attorney

There may reach a point here the negotiations may not go as smoothly as you had hoped. Let’s face it. Dealing with a personal injury case is not a walk in the park. It takes time and is very stressful. If experiencing difficulties, you may consider using the help of an attorney.

You may talk to an attorney if;

• Your Personal Injury Claim is worth Thousands of Dollars: It’s most likely that an insurance adjuster will offer a low settlement to an unrepresented claimant especially when the injury cost amounts to thousands of dollars.

• There is Question of the Validity of your Claim: In such a case, you may need the help of an attorney to help craft your argument properly.

• You’re Seeking Future Damages: Things can get a bit tough for you especially if you’re claiming future damages such as lost future income or medical treatment and care you’ll need later. You may want to hire an attorney to make that happen.

If you intend to hire an attorney, be sure to do your homework properly. Not all attorneys in Singapore are qualified and genuine. Use recommendations from friends, family, colleagues, or even experts to get the best.

Put the Settlement into Writing

• If you and the insurance adjuster come to an agreement on the settlement amount, confirm this in a letter to the adjuster.

• Putting the settlement in writing will help support your claim should the adjuster back out on you.

Don’t Sign Forms or Documents You Don’t Understand

You need to be very cautious when signing forms and document you understand nothing about.

• You might be asked to sign a form or contract requesting you to release the responsible party from liability. Therefore, don’t sign these documents without knowing how they will affect your case. Be sure to use the help of an attorney in such a situation.

File Your Personal Injury Claim within the Time Limit

• You should know that one of the most important factors governing a personal injury claim is the time limit. If you don’t file your case within the standard limit of time stated by the court, then your case may be barred, and you’ll no longer be entitled to a claim.

• Find out about the time limit for filing a personal injury claim before proceeding.

Filing for a personal injury claim may not be the easiest thing to do especially if you’ve got no idea what the legal procedure entails. Take note of the steps and tips outlined in this article to help you avoid the hassles and also increase your chances of winning the case.