The damages you’ve suffered in your truck accident are going to reshape your life for a long time to come. It can take months or even years to reclaim your physical health, if you’re fortunate enough to avoid permanent disability, and the emotional trauma can last a lifetime. The financial ramifications can be debilitating, too, leaving you unsure of how to pay for your everyday living expenses.
By taking legal action in the form of a personal injury lawsuit, you might recover compensation and achieve a sense of closure, both of which can set you on the path to a fuller recovery. For many truck accident victims, resolution takes the form of a settlement, which can be tempting to latch onto when it’s first offered. But before you agree to settle your case, you need to determine if there’s more you can do to increase your recovery.
How to maximize your truck accident settlement amount
Most personal injury lawsuits result in settlement. But to get what you deserve out of your case, you need to be diligent. This means doing the following:
- Not buying into a low offer: More likely than not, the first settlement offer given to you is going to be for far less than your claim is worth. However, the amount and the rapidity with which it’s received can leave you tempted to take it. Exercise restraint. Take the time you need to regroup and analyze the offer in light of your actual damages to see if you need to push back for more compensation than what’s being offered.
- Preserving evidence: The stronger the evidence you have in your case, the more likely it is that the other side is going to deal with you to find an appropriate settlement amount. So, before sitting down at the negotiating table, ensure that you have witnesses lined up to testify in the event that your case goes to trial, and physical evidence ready to present to show negligence, causation, and damages.
- Preparing an explanation: Knowing that the first settlement offer is probably going to be for less than what you deserve, you should be ready to explain why a low offer is inadequate. This will help the other side see why you’re holding out for more compensation and why you think you’ll prevail in obtaining that compensation if you take the matter to trial. Simply rejecting a settlement offer without an explanation isn’t going to get you very far.
- Staying off social media: Remember, if your case goes to trial, your recovery can be reduced by the amount of fault that’s allocated to you or if you fail to prove the full extent of your damages. The defense is going to scour your social media to find evidence that it can utilize to demonstrate that your injuries aren’t as severe as you claim them to be or that you’ve accepted some sort of blame for the accident. So, it’s best that you stay off social media until your case resolves, one way or another.
Have a strong legal strategy going into your personal injury case
The outcome of your truck accident personal injury claim can impact your recovery and your life for a long time to come. With so much at stake, you need to aggressively advocate for what you deserve. So, going into your case, be prepared to gather evidence, talk to witnesses, secure experts, and read up on applicable law. Although it’s a lot of work, you’ll find that thoroughly preparing your claim will put your mind at ease and give you confidence that you can secure the bright future that you deserve.