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Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers

How to Get the Most Money for Your Personal Injury Claim

Posted Sep 16, 2020 by Matt Boulton

Boulton Law Group talks to a variety of injury victims throughout Indiana. No matter the type of case, or how significant the injuries, everyone has a personal reason for filing a claim.

It surprises some to learn that many accident victims make the following statement to our office: “It is not about the money. I just want to hold someone accountable.

Given the range of emotions accident victims endure, it is understandable that money is sometimes a secondary concern. That said, we also remind our clients that it is perfectly ok to be appropriately compensated for their injuries and pain and suffering.

In fact, some victims and/or their families will use a portion of their settlement to start a foundation or prevention/awareness group to raise attention to their experience.

Ultimately, our responsibility as your attorney is to help ensure that you get the most money possible for your personal injury claim. As such, we commonly provide our callers and clients with the following tips to maximize their settlement amount.

Seven Tips to Maximize Your Personal Injury Claim

Boulton Law Group will devise a unique strategy specific to your type of personal injury claim. However, there is general advice that applies to a majority of personal injury claims, including victims of:

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No matter the type or size of your accident, we recommend that you ask an experienced Indianapolis personal injury lawyer for a free consultation.

1.) Follow Your Doctor’s Orders

Being injured does not automatically entitle you to maximum compensation.

Insurance companies will carefully review the medical records related to your accident. If they see instances of missed appointments or a doctor’s note that indicates you did not follow orders, the insurance company will take the position that your injuries are mild or less severe than initially reported.

To help maximize your personal injury settlement, you must keep your appointments and comply with doctor’s orders.

2.) Do Not Sign Anything

Following your accident, the insurance company will send you a number of documents that ask for your signature. This paperwork may include a medical release authorization or release of all claims, among other documents.

Your signature on any insurance document can have far-reaching repercussions for your case, including negatively affecting the overall worth of your claim.

For example, by signing a medical release authorization form, you provide the insurance company with the authorization to order your current and past medical records. This gives the insurance company the ability to analyze your entire medical history, including information regarding prior health conditions, medication usage, and statements that they may use to diminish the injuries sustained from your present accident.

Before signing anything, always ask an attorney who focuses on Indiana personal injury law to review the documents and explain to you what they mean. Their advice can help to ensure you receive the most money for your claim.

3.) You Have the Right to Remain Silent

Insurance companies love recorded statements. The evidence they can obtain through a series of well-rehearsed questions can easily be used to limit their overall exposure.

Many accident victims are surprised to learn that they do not have to provide the insurance company with a recorded statement. You have the right to politely decline to speak about the accident or your injuries until you have obtained free advice from an injury attorney.

In the event that we believe your case would benefit from providing a recorded statement, Boulton Law Group will coordinate the call on your behalf and be present to monitor the insurance company’s line of questioning.

Having legal counsel on your side during a recorded statement is yet another to help ensure you get the most money for your case.

4.) Do Not Let Evidence Disappear

One of the reasons we advise injured people to call an attorney as soon as possible following their accident is to ensure evidence is not lost. A skilled personal injury attorney can advise you on what needs to be collected to strengthen the liability of your claim as well as its overall value.

For example, many of our clients sustain traumatic injuries that do not allow them to take pictures or properly survey a scene following their incident. Unless someone is acting on their behalf in a professional capacity (and knows what to look for) it is possible that evidence can disappear or be tainted.

Some accident victims are leery about contacting an attorney because they feel they may be pressured into hiring them. That is not the case at Boulton Law Group.

Our office will provide you with free legal advice regarding evidence during your initial consultation. You will never receive a bill from our office for legal advice, and it may prove to increase the amount of money you receive for your case.

5.) Social Media is Not Your Friend

By sharing pictures, videos, or comments about your accident and injury on social media, you are providing the insurance company with evidence that can quickly damage your case.

To help ensure you receive the most money for your case, do not post any details about your accident/incident on social media. In fact, we often help our clients change their privacy settings to decrease the insurance company’s ability to view your posts and history.

Put simply, social media and personal injury cases do not mix well.

6.) Do Not Compare Cases

Occasionally, a victim will tell us they know someone else who was in a similar incident and believes they should receive the same amount of money for their own accident. Not true.

To maximize your case value, it is important to realize that no two accidents are alike, no matter how similar they may seem on the surface.

For example, two separate fender-benders causing back injuries to the victims can have vastly different case values depending on a number of factors, including:

  • property damage evidence
  • the victims’ response to treatment
  • the victims’ past health history
  • whether or not the victims hire a personal injury attorney

Never assume your accident has a pre-determined dollar amount. By comparing your case to someone else’s, you may be underestimating the worth of your claim.

7.) Be Careful Whose Advice You Take

We recommend that you think twice before taking advice from anyone that does not exclusively practice Indiana personal injury law.

After your accident, your friends and family may have an opinion on what you should do next to get the most money for your case. Maybe they know someone who was in an accident, or they have read stories about “big settlements” or “dishonest attorneys,” etc. Be careful.

Friends and family want the best for you, but unless one of them is an injury attorney, they cannot offer you the experience as someone who works on these cases every single day.

To ensure you receive the most money for your personal injury case, we recommend that you ONLY take advice from a reputable Indiana personal injury lawyer.

Do You Know What Your Personal Injury Claim is Worth?

The value of personal injury claims can widely vary depending on dozens of factors. If you are unsure of what your case is worth, you should not settle with the insurance company until you have consulted with an attorney that has several years’ experience handling these claims.

In addition to helping you determine what your case is worth, a free legal consultation can assist you in maximizing the amount of money you receive for your accident and injuries.

Attorney Matt Boulton has more than 20 years’ experience helping injured Hoosiers and their families to receive the maximum amount of money for their cases. His success and approach to client service have led him to be sought after by clients throughout the state.

Boulton Law Group offers Indiana’s accident victims a Zero Fee Guarantee. Our promise helps to ensure that everyone has equal access to award-winning legal representation.

To speak to attorney Boulton direct, call 317-350-2680. If you prefer to write to us with your story, you can use our confidential contact form. Attorney Boulton personally reviews every website contact.

Matt Boulton

Author Matt Boulton

Attorney Matt Boulton is an award-winning personal injury attorney with more than 25 years of experience helping seriously injured people throughout Indiana. He designed his firm for the client who expects exceptional service and passionate, successful legal representation.

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