Make Sure That Your Accident Settlement Is Fair

If you've been involved in an accident that isn't exactly clear on the question of fault, your legal battle may not be an easy victory. Even if your legal opponent admits some fault, it can be difficult to get all of the compensation you need. From misleading settlement amounts to services that can enhance your life, consider a few of the traps and opportunities that may develop during your accident settlement.

Large Payments May Be Deceptively Tempting

Depending on your legal opponent's defense and experience, they may be able to use a somewhat simple trick to fool you into leaving the settlement with less than you deserve: a large, tempting sum of money.

Consider a person that makes $40,000 per year. If they're involved in an truck accident, a legal opponent may offer $100,000 or $200,000 in settlement compensation. The victim may accept the payment, but they may be ignoring the potential costs that could come from their injuries.

Medical bills are one of the first major costs in regards to an accident. The hospital stay and physical therapy should be paid for and hopefully not part of the advertised settlement amount, but a crafty legal opponent may pass the cost onto the victim under the cover of the tempting settlement amount.

After the medical bills comes lost wages. If the victim loses days at work, that's less food on the table for their household. If the injury is bad enough, the victim may not be as desirable for promotions or may not have a job in the near future due to disability.

The $200,000 may be consumed by debt accrued during financial hardships--hardships that were the fault of the other driver. When the settlement amount is consumed, the victim may still have pain, disability and physical complications that still require money for treatment. Getting more money from their legal opponent may be an uphill battle requiring a highly skilled, expensive attorney.

An Attorney Can Plan A Better Settlement

There is no reason to accept the first settlement offer given to you. Instead, consult a truck accident attorney to design a negotiation plan for you.

With an attorney's help, it becomes easier to map out the long term costs that may shed light on how much you should demand in compensation. From actual lost wages to measuring the potential impact on your long term career, there are a lot of figures to consider.

If your ability to earn a living is affected, your attorney can demand compensation as you adjust to a new lifestyle as well as education and training programs to get you into a new career path. If disability is on the horizon, your attorney can give advice on whether to use systems such as Social Security or continuing settlement negotiations.

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