Top Ten Ways To Get The Most Money After Any Orlando Car Accident

If you were injured by another person in a car accident, you are entitled to money, if they have enough insurance coverage.  Question is: how much?  Right after an accident, even the best Orlando car accident lawyer will not know the answer. However, you can increase the value of your case, after the accident.  That probably surprises you.  But it’s completely true.  Here’s how.

1. Get To The Doctor ASAP

You can’t get to the doctor quickly enough.  The ER by ambulance from the scene is the best choice.  Second best is as quickly as you can get to any doctor.  The ER soon after is another good choice.

2. Tell the doctor about ALL of your pain complaints.

Don’t forget anything.  If your shoulder hurts, but your foot hurts more, don’t just focus on your foot.  The reason is that what your doctor writes in your medical records is the best evidence of exactly what was really hurting after any accident.  Insurance companies will not just believe your pain complaints. In fact, one of their common defenses is that your injuries stemmed from some other event or condition in your life. The best counter to that problem is that you complained to a doctor about all of your symptoms, very shortly after the accident. You also need to have received treatment for all of them.

3. Call an Orlando car accident attorney who will actually talk to you.

Your lawyer should be telling you how to get more money.  Each case is different.  So the advice we give each client is different & tailored. For example, if someone needs a brain injury lawyer, then we recommend that they go to some of the best neurologists in the country, for both testing and treatment. Those records and the doctor later help prove the extent of their injuries, and the doctor’s exceptional credentials make him less susceptible to damaging arguments on cross-examination. In a different case, if a client has lost their ability to work, we might want to dig into the records proving both their income before the accident, and their loss of income after the accident. Regardless of your type of accident and injuries, you will need tailored advice.

4. Do not skip doctor or therapy appointments.

And make them as often as recommended by your doctor or therapist.  Generally you need physical therapy 2-3 times a week for an extended period.  And you need to see your doctor at least once a month, regardless of what he says (always remember: your doctor is not a lawyer). Some busy doctors might not tell you that you need to return at all, or that you don’t need to worry about coming back for 3-6 months or more. But that’s not a good idea for your personal injury case.

5. Stay in treatment until you reach maximum medical improvement.

This is something your doctor decides.  If you completely recover, in many cases, your case will be worth very little, to nothing. That means, unless you fully recover, you should expect stay in treatment for the duration of your case, unless you want nothing in your pocket.  The law does not allow for pain and suffering damages for temporary conditions, in most accident cases (with a few limited exceptions).

6. Surgery is more valuable than injections, which are more valuable than extended PT.

Of course, you shouldn’t get any surgery or injections you do not need.  This is the reality of treatment versus injury case settlement values.  You also can’t get value for surgery that is “planned.”  Actual surgeries lead to higher values.  Surgeries your doctor says you should get, if you refuse, have much less value.  Of course, this all assumes the defendant driver’s liability (fault) is clear.  And that the defendant has enough insurance coverage to pay the full value of your injuries.

7. Stay away from social media and any other online social activities (for example: dating forums).

Defense lawyers can and do access these profiles, even when they are private.  They can use innocent posts against you in ways you can’t imagine. For example, if they search through your Facebook profile and find pictures of you hiking in the woods, you can be sure that photo and any text caption or comments will be blown up poster size for the jury to see. This can make it impossible for you to prove that you had permanent, serious injuries. Since it is impossible for us to tell you every possible photo or comment that might hurt your case, the best strategy is to stay away from social media for the duration of your case.

8. Avoid total reliance on pain pills for treatment.

You can take them, but you need other treatment.  I am not a doctor. So this is not medical advice.  This is just the best way to get the most money from your car accident case. Part of the reason is that your medical bills help increase your pain and suffering value. So your overall settlement will be higher (assuming there is enough insurance), the more treatment you receive. You do have to repay medical bills. For that reason, we sometimes suggest a slightly different strategy if there is less available insurance coverage. But if there is a higher policy, then your take home money in your pocket will be higher with more expensive and extensive treatment. This is why we strongly encourage our personal injury clients to get any recommended surgery.

9. Do not speak to any insurance company, before speaking with an Orlando car accident attorney.

Their goal is to pay you the least amount of money possible.  Insurance companies have many techniques for developing evidence to reduce your case value.  You cannot possibly know all of the tricky ways that they get you to make admissions that hurt your case.  For example, if you claim that your back is killing you, but mention that you went to a dance party this past weekend.  The list of examples would boggle your mind.  Don’t fall for their traps!  (Note: you are often required to report accidents to your own carrier within a certain period of time.  So call your lawyer quickly.)  The scary thing is there is advice all over the Internet suggesting you speak with adjusters yourself, and how to do so.  That is bad advice. Again, adjusters can testify against you.  And you have no idea what might help or hurt you.  Bad, bad, bad idea.

10. Try to keep working (in your job), or going to school, as much as you possibly can.

Jurors like those who try to help themselves as much as possible.  Basically, this makes you look like a trooper, which can make jurors more sympathetic.  Insurance companies know this, during settlement discussions.

That’s my top 10 list.  If you’d like to read more details, check this out.

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