Determining What Your Auto Accident Case is Worth

You've filled out the paperwork.  Oh - the endless paperwork - not to mention the trips to the police station to pick up the police reports and then ferrying them to your insurance company.

If you didn't know better - you'd start to think that perhaps the insurance company didn't WANT to settle your case - after all, the only time anything happens is when YOU take action.

Then there's the doctor bills - the endless visits to the doctor.  You're missing work - you're missing family events - YOU'RE MISSING OUT ON LIFE!

If you've ever been injured in an auto accident - then this is ALL too familiar to you.  If you've never been seriously injured in an auto accident - you might have read the title to this hub and thought "GOLD DIGGERS!"

However, most auto accident victims will attest that if they could, they would GLADLY take a restoration of their previous life over ANY settlement. 

Read on to learn how insurance companies and lawyers arrive at an auto inury settlement figure.  Once you've read it all - you'll see that being injured in an auto accident is NOT a path to easy money.

Let's start with the disclaimer that this in no way should be construed as "legal advice". I'm not a lawyer. Don't ask me what YOUR case is worth because there's no way I can tell you. Don't let ANYONE tell you what your case is worth without getting a LOT more information... information that you should NOT be sharing in a public forum such as this.

When you hire an auto accident lawyer, there are three factors which will determine what your case is worth.

• The facts surrounding your auto accident

• The quality of the evidence

• The experience of your auto accident lawyer

Notice that the first - and most important factor - is the FACTS surround the case.

While you may think it's a slam dunk - you were in an auto accident on Friday - your neck started hurting on Monday, therefore you think that it's a FACT that your whiplash is the result of your auto accident.

Ah, while those may be the "facts" they are not evidence.

Evidence are the photos from the crash scene - the police reports verifying that there was a car accident- that your car was involved in that crash - and the medical reports documenting that your injuries are indeed identical to the injuries of other car crash victims.

The facts are only as "strong" as the evidence your lawyer uses them to create.

Facts such as the dollar amount of your medical bills and the lost wages - are only as good as the evidence they help to create.

Once the "evidence" is established - then you - or your lawyer - gets to present the evidence to the insurance company. This begins a long process of negotiations.

Negotiations is where the VALUE of your case is determined.

There are usually TWO misconceptions when it comes to auto accident settlements.  I've already covered the first one above... that people who seek damages after an auto accident are "Gold Diggers!" 

The second misconception is that you can get JUST as "good" of a settlement as you could with a lawyer.

Lawyers- especially auto accident specialists - are experts at hard core negotiations.  Make no mistake - the dollar amount of your settlement will DIRECTLY reflect the negotiating power of your attorney.  

You should NEVER attempt to negotiate your own settlement with an insurance company on your own.

Even if you are a professional negotiator - you have a vested interest in this case and it's impossible for you to remain neutral.

Ah, this is why it's so important to hire an experienced auto accident lawyer.  Because remaining calm, cool and collected is ESSENTIAL and throughout this process - from gathering and presenting evidence to negotiating a settlement, some of the wildest accusations will fly.  Some things said in the course of these negotiations would make a studio audience roar with laughter.

But this isn't a sitcom - this is your life.  When the insurance company claims the auto accident was your fault - when you were the passenger in the car which was T-boned in an intersection by a drunk driver who ran a red light - it's hard to work up a chuckle, let alone a laugh.

When you hire a lawyer, you agree to give him/her a % of the settlement.  Even the worst auto accident attorney will be able to get more than you will.  The best auto accident lawyer will be able to get you a LOT more.

Use the links below to get the information you need to find the BEST auto accident lawyer.