If you or a loved one are involved in a vehicle accident caused by the careless or negligent actions of another driver, you will very likely be able to recover compensation for your injuries and other losses. However, securing only some compensation is different from securing the maximum compensation that you are entitled to. Securing the full compensation for a car accident claim can be challenging, particularly when dealing with aggressive insurance carriers. Here, we want to discuss steps that you can take to maximize your auto insurance compensation following a vehicle accident caused by another driver.

Seek Medical Care, and Continue Medical Care

It is critical that you seek medical assistance as soon as possible after a vehicle accident occurs. There are two very good reasons why you need to seek medical help immediately:

• This ensures that your health and well-being are the priority.
• This ensures that there is a direct connection between the vehicle accident and the subsequent injuries.

If the injuries are not severe enough to take an ambulance to the hospital from the scene of the crash, then have somebody drive you to a doctor or an emergency clinic so you can be evaluated.

Additionally, you need to follow all of your doctor’s orders after the initial evaluation. Do not discontinue medical care until after you have reached what the doctor considers maximum medical improvement. You need to continue all treatment plans prescribed by the doctor, go to any physical therapy or rehabilitation, use all medical devices that are required, and go to all follow-up visits. Discontinuing care could result in the insurance carriers involved denying an auto insurance claim.

Report the Accident, but Speak Carefully to Insurance Carriers

You do need to report the accident to your insurance carrier as soon as possible after the incident occurs. Failing to report a crash could result in the insurance carrier delaying or denying the claim unnecessarily. However, when you make your report, you do not need to say very much to the insurance carrier. In fact, the less you say, the better.

You need to let the insurance carrier know where the crash occurred, a very brief description of what happened, and whether or not you are seeking medical care. The more you say to the insurance carrier, the more likely you are to say something that could jeopardize you receiving maximum compensation.

We strongly recommend that you work with a skilled Phoenix auto accident lawyer who can handle all communication and negotiation with the insurance carriers involved.

Do not be Quick to Settle Your Claim

It can be very tempting to want to settle an accident claim quickly after the incident occurs. This is particularly true if there are major medical bills piling up and if an injury victim cannot work while they recover. However, please understand that initial settlement offers from insurance carriers are often far below what the victim should actually be receiving.

A first settlement offer should be used as a starting point for your negotiation towards the maximum amount. If you are working with an attorney, you need to let the attorney conduct a complete investigation into the case and help properly calculate the total compensation you should be owed, including medical bills, lost income, general household out-of-pocket expenses, pain and suffering damages, and more.