Workplace injuries can leave you with significant medical expenses, months of lost wages, and stress that affects your overall quality of life. Fortunately, you shouldn’t worry too much about compensation because the worker’s compensation policy typically covers injuries at construction sites and other work environments.
Nonetheless, receiving fair compensation goes a long way in ensuring that you recover fully. You should find ways of maximizing your personal injury claim. Below are a few tips to consider:
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1. Contact your Attorney and File the Claim Immediately
Winning a personal injury case without legal help can prove challenging. Even if you have solid evidence to support your claim, getting your rightful compensation is difficult. You should have personal injury attorneys on your corner. Your lawyer will help with evidence collection, research similar precedents in your state, and consult with medical experts to estimate your rightful compensation.
Personal injury lawyers are also expert negotiators. They will negotiate with the insurance company representatives to ensure you receive a fair offer. If negotiations fail, your personal injury lawyer will proceed to file the claim in court. The lawyer should do so within the acceptable time limit, which is three years in most states.
Exceeding this time limit voids your rights to claim compensation from your employer. Unfortunately, negotiations, collecting evidence, and documenting your injuries can take a while. This justifies why you should hire an attorney and get started as soon as possible.
2. Collect and Preserve All Evidence
Proving fault in personal injury cases without sufficient evidence is daunting. The evidence you need to strengthen your case primarily depends on the nature of the accident. Generally, you’ll need the following to build a strong case for your construction site accident:
- Pictures or videos of the scene
- Photographs of your bodily injuries or property damage
- Witness statements
- An official report from the construction site accident book
- Recordings from surveillance cameras, if present
- Doctor’s medical report
- An official police report if the incident was reported to authorities
Gathering all this evidence can help prove your case. However, you should go beyond this to maximize your claim payouts. Your evidence should include a record of all the financial losses resulting from the incident.
This includes medical expenses, costs of traveling to the hospital for treatment, structural changes in your home or vehicle, domestic help if you can’t manage housework, and other arising expenses. Your doctor should also assess the extent of your injuries to determine if you’ll need future medical attention.
3. Don’t Accept the First Settlement Offer
It is not uncommon for insurance companies to reach out and offer a settlement, especially if the evidence doesn’t favor them. While this is a good starting point, they are notorious for making low initial offers. However, there is no obligation that you should accept their first offer.
Regardless of the offered amount, don’t accept it without consulting your attorney if you want to maximize your claim. Personal injury attorneys can accurately value your claim and negotiate on your behalf. They are also aware of the tricks insurance adjusters use to coerce victims into accepting their low-ball offers, such as:
- Delaying the claims process: Insurance adjusters like using this trick to frustrate accident victims. Dragging the process wears victims down, forcing them to settle for less.
- Underestimating the severity of the injuries: Insurance adjusters also like underestimating the severity of the victim’s injuries. They may even claim that their negligence contributed to the construction incident.
- Misinterpreting the law: Adjusters also use this common trick, especially if you don’t have an attorney. They may misinterpret the law to convince victims that they aren’t entitled to compensation for some injuries, such as pain and suffering.
Insurance adjusters also often pressure victims into accepting the settlement offer before consulting their attorneys. You should consult your lawyer and watch out for these tactics to maximize your worker’s compensation settlement.
Endnote
Pursuing a workers’ comp claim and getting fair compensation can prove challenging. Insurance companies often employ various tricks to minimize or deny claims payouts. Fortunately, working with an experienced personal injury attorney can help you maximize your worksite injury settlement. You shouldn’t underestimate the difference of having a good lawyer on your side.
