Making sure that your car accident settlement pays the full damages you are owed is vital in any car accident case. If you are left with additional expenses that weren’t covered, you can quickly wonder if your insurance claim or settlement was worth it at all.
Working with a New York car accident lawyer is one of the best ways to help maximize your damages. An attorney can seek out all potential pieces of evidence that can help prove your claim and strengthen your case. We can also work with you on your testimony and subpoena and depose other witnesses to create a strong record in your favor. Strong evidence can help push an at-fault driver and their insurance company into a swift, full settlement.
For a free evaluation on your car accident case, call the New York car accident attorneys at The Carrion Law Firm today at (718) 841-0083.
Ways to Maximize the Value of Your Car Accident Case in New York
Experienced car accident lawyers like those at The Carrion Law Firm pursue maximum compensation for their clients by taking care to expose all evidence and build strong cases. The various steps we take are listed below.
But before going into ways to maximize your car accident settlement, it is important to understand a few things you should avoid doing in an attempt to maximize the value of your case. It is important to work with a lawyer to make sure that you take only the legal, appropriate routes toward getting the maximum compensation and avoid jeopardizing your case with fraud.
In any case, lying about – or even exaggerating – your injuries can jeopardize your case. The common TV and movie trope of walking into court with a neck brace to exaggerate a neck injury is unethical and can absolutely destroy your credibility if the defense finds out you are faking any injuries. Because of this, any fraud or lies should be avoided at all costs to try to artificially inflate the damages in your case.
Instead, our Bronx car accident lawyers pursue all of the following routes, when applicable, to help maximize the damages in your case:
Count All the Damages
There are many areas of damages that victims might not know they can claim in their car accident case. From pain and suffering and emotional distress to damages for lost services and lost childcare at home, there is a wide range of economic and non-economic damages you can pursue in a car accident claim. Our Brooklyn car accident lawyers work to total up all of the following damages and more whenever they are applicable in your case:
- Lost wages
- Emergency medical expenses
- Bills for follow-up appointments
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Medical devices (crutches, walkers, scooters, etc.)
- Childcare during procedures
- Lost services at home brought about because of the injury
- Lost future earning capacity
Collect All Evidence
If you are missing pieces of evidence in your case, you might have holes in your story that the defendant and the insurance companies can exploit to challenge your claims. With every piece of available evidence collected, your Staten Island car accident lawyers can help build a strong case and lock down any potential holes in your case.
Some evidence that people do not always think to collect include the following items:
- Good, clear pictures or video of the scene of the crash
- The names and badge numbers of the officers who responded to the crash and filed a police report
- The police report itself
- Information about lighting, weather, and road conditions
- Information about any hidden or obstructed road signs or signals
- Nearby security camera or traffic camera video that might have caught the accident on video
- The names and contact details for witnesses
Get Witness Statements and Depositions
A good Utica car accident lawyer will often speak with witnesses who saw what happened and get statements from them. If they are unable to testify later, these statements can still help us build your case and know what additional evidence or potential counterarguments to look out for. If we can get depositions from the witnesses, their testimony can be vital to building your case, corroborating your claims about how the crash happened, and challenging statements from the defendant.
Getting statements and dispositions early also helps preserve the witness testimony. If the case goes on too long before you speak with witnesses, they might forget what happened or mix up the events of the accident. Having their statements on record can help refresh their recollection later and keep our case consistent as it progresses.
Build a Strong Case
Most of what we’ve discussed so far goes to collecting strong, detailed evidence. With a strong case, it is harder for the defendant to counter your claims or avoid liability. In many cases where the evidence is overwhelmingly in the victim’s favor, the defendant is more like to settle for the full value of your case. If there is nothing the defense can do to challenge your evidence, they may have no choice but to settle and avoid the time and expense of putting on a losing trial.
Negotiate with the Insurance Companies and Opposing Counsel
One key thing that your attorneys can do for you is help during settlement negotiations. Our New York car accident attorneys seek to settle cases through negotiated settlements when possible. If the other side is willing to discuss your case and cooperate, we may be able to argue for a settlement that gets you the damages you need faster and avoids the additional expense of going to trial.
Call Our New York Car Accident Injury Attorneys Today
If you or a loved one was hurt in a car crash in New York, The Carrion Law Firm may be able to help. Call our Queens car accident attorneys today for a free case review and to begin getting the help you need to maximize the value of your car accident case. For your free case review, call (718) 841-0083 today.