After a car accident, many people have questions about what to do next. They range from how to find a reputable lawyer to how fast they can recover from their injuries.
The answers to these questions vary depending on the circumstances. However, a good car accident lawyer could help you understand what to expect.
Factors That Can Affect My Car Accident Claim
Several factors determine the outcome of your car accident claim. Here are some of the most common.
Crash Liability and Fault
One of the most significant factors for your car accident claim is determining responsibility for the crash.
When you can prove that someone else is responsible for the crash that caused your injuries, you receive a significantly higher insurance claim.
However, if it’s determined you were partially responsible for the accident, you may receive less money. That’s not to say insurance won’t pay some of the damages. But the payout will be less than when you aren’t at fault.
Typically, when you can establish that you bear less than 50% responsibility for the car accident, it’s still possible to receive a substantial claim.
The rule is that the reduction in your insurance claim is proportionate to the percentage of your contribution toward the car accident. So, a person found 25% responsible for their accident could expect to receive 25% less from their insurer than someone who is not at fault for a comparable accident.
Severity of Injuries
Another factor that affects the outcome of your car accident claim is the severity of your injuries.
Typically, the worse the damage, the higher your claim outcome. Understandably, total loss of mobility or paraplegia would outrank whiplash. Of course, relatively minor injuries can still be frustrating, especially when you are recovering from those injuries.
If your injury isn’t permanent, like limb loss or paralysis, the claim gets weighted toward hard injuries.
That means severe damage like a broken bone or damaged nerve receives more compensation than a soft tissue injury such as lacerations or sprains.
The immediacy of Medical Treatment
In a similar vein, a significant factor that might affect the outcome of car accident claims is how quickly you seek medical care.
That can cause frustration and stress because some injuries take time to emerge. You may not know you have whiplash, for instance, until several days after the crash. Whiplash can cause severe physical pain and cognitive issues. These injuries are generally difficult to prove. Therefore, it is essential to consult a doctor after a car accident.
On the other hand, hard injuries aren’t ignorable. You cannot delay treatment for a broken leg or damaged nerve, so immediately seek medical care. Doing so will boost your claim and ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
Recovery and Sustained Medical Care
The final factor affecting your car accident claim is recovery time. That dovetails with whether or not you need ongoing medical care.
It can include a long-term disability or prolonged stiffness, or. One of the major considerations when evaluating the impact of a protracted recovery period on someone filing a car accident claim is the impact it has on their ability to do their job.
A reputable car accident lawyer makes the insurer account for the impact these continuing expenses or inability to get to work can have on your income.
Final Thoughts
What factors affect your car accident claim? Several significant factors drive the decision. These are based on the type of injury you sustain, how it impacts your life, how treatable it is, and when you seek medical care.
It’s also important to remember that fault plays a large part in car accident claim outcomes. You will always receive more money for accidents you weren’t responsible for.
Whether you are at fault or not, we hope this guide helps you understand what to expect when filing a car accident claim and enables you to receive the settlement you deserve.
