How a Chandler Auto Accident Attorney Can Help the Value of Your Claim?

After being in a car accident, you’ll have a lot of things on your plate- dealing with insurance adjusters, getting your car repaired or buying a new one, seeking medical treatment, catching up missed work and household chores, and so on. If you want to be reimbursed for all of the expenses and inconveniences you incurred due to the accident, you will need to pursue a personal injury claim as well. 

Should I Call a Chandler Auto Accident Lawyer after a Wreck?

A Chandler Auto Accident Lawyer can help you get a higher settlement (or trial award) than you would on your own, with far less effort on your part. If you have been injured in a car accident in Chandler, you will likely be pursuing a claim against an auto insurance company. That company’s adjusters will be trying to elicit statements from you that could damage your claim from the first point of contact. A quality attorney will ensure that this doesn’t happen, as well as assemble evidence to support your claim and prepare you for the rest of the process. A Chandler Auto Accident lawyer can even help you with medical treatment referrals and medical liens, if necessary. 

What Type of Settlement Should I Expect from a Car Accident in Chandler, Arizona?

There are many types of damages you can be compensated for after a car accident in Chandler, Arizona, including:

• Medical treatment
  
• Future medical care
  
• Missed work
  
• Loss of potential future income
  
• Loss of companionship or consortium
  
• Scars, disfigurement, loss of limb
  
• Brain injuries
  
• PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc. 
  
• Chronic pain
  
• Wrongful death
  

Things that Influence the Amount of Your Chandler Auto Accident Claim

Comparative Fault

Comparative fault is the concept that even if you were partially at fault for an accident, you can still bring a personal injury claim. This is compared to contributory negligence jurisdictions, where a driver can be barred from recovering if they were even only 1% at fault in an accident. 

Let’s say, for example, that you were in the second most common type of car accident in Arizona- same direction side swipe. The other driver caused the accident by switching into your lane, but because you were speeding or failed to use your turn signal, the accident is ruled to have been 25% your fault. You will be able to recover 75% of the damages you incurred from the accident. In a contributory negligence jurisdiction, you may not be able to recover anything.

This is where an experienced attorney will come in handy. The insurance company will try to prove you had as much fault in the accident as possible to reduce the amount they would have to pay. Your attorney will thoroughly investigate the accident and ensure as much blame as possible is assigned to the other driver. 

Comprehensive Evaluation of Your Damages

Our attorneys will examine all of the facets of your injury- physical, professional, emotional, mental, social, and more- to determine how much should be requested in your demand letter. Every dollar counts when getting yourself back on your feet after an accident, so our attorneys will always continue to find evidence, consult experts, and whatever else it takes to increase the value of your claim. The initial case evaluation is free, so call to schedule yours today. 

Evaluation of all of the Evidence

Your attorney knows how a jury will treat pieces of evidence based on years of experience litigating personal injury claims. An experienced attorney should also be able to determine approximately how much comparative fault may be assigned to you based on the evidence at hand. An attorney can also help you estimate lost income if you sustained an injury that will prevent you from advancing in your career. Evidence can go missing and witnesses memories can fade, so retain an attorney as soon as possible after your accident. 

Helpful Tips on Determining the Value of Your Chandler Auto Accident

• Remember that any settlement values you reach using online calculators are rough estimates and are in no way a guarantee of what your case is worth. Conversely, your case may be worth far more than the calculator suggests. 
  
• The damages to your vehicle will be capped at the total value of the vehicle, but pictures of the damage and mechanics’ reports can be good evidence to portray how horrific the accident was. 
  
• Your damages may be higher if the other driver was under the influence of alcohol or engaging in other reckless or negligent conduct. 
  
• Medical treatment is often far different for children because their bodies are still developing, and injuries that would be minor in adults can have permanent effects on a child. A parent or legal guardian may pursue a claim on behalf of the child, or the child can bring their claim up to 2 years after turning 18. 
  
• Auto accident attorneys usually charge on a contingency basis, meaning they don’t get paid unless they win. 
  
• Some injuries, like whiplash, can take a few days to appear. Don’t settle quickly without seeing a doctor and speaking to an attorney first if you are at risk for this type of injury, common with accidents involving the neck and spine. 
  

How Do I Determine What My Chandler Auto Accident is Worth?

Special damages, e.g., your medical bills and missed time from work, are those that can be assigned a clear monetary value. General damages, like emotional trauma or the loss in quality of life, aren’t so easy to calculate. These are usually awarded under the title of “pain and suffering.” Pain and suffering can be calculated in a few different ways. 

The first and most common method is the multiplier method. Medical costs and time missed from work will be multiplied by a number usually between 1-5, with a higher number being assigned to more serious accidents. So if your medical bills were $7,000 and you missed about $3,000 in wages, your pain and suffering will likely fall somewhere between $10,000 and $50,000. A higher multiplier may be used if the other driver was intoxicated or the accidents are severe and permanent, but a lower multiplier may be used if the plaintiff’s own conduct contributed to the accident. 

Another method used to calculate these damages is the per diem method. Per diem is Latin for “per day,” so the plaintiff’s attorney will assign a daily monetary value to the plaintiff’s injuries and multiply that by the number of days until the plaintiff reaches full recovery. 

Another less commonly used method is the damages method, where the calculable damages are multiplied by a number between 1.5 and 5, and that number is used as a starting number for the negotiations. 

What Information is Needed to Make a Compensation Evaluation of my Chandler Auto Accident?

When meeting with a personal injury attorney to discuss your case, there is plenty of documentation you can have with you so the attorney can make a more accurate estimate of your claim’s value. If you have already begun receiving treatment for your injuries, you should bring your medical records and bills to the extent available. You should also bring pay statements or any other proof of the income you lost due to the accident. Your pain and suffering can be estimated using that total. Your attorney may also want to hire experts to project the loss of future earning potential and the cost of future medical treatment and care, if applicable. 

What Insurance Adjusters Do to Determine the Value or Your Claim and Settlement Offer

No matter how friendly the insurance adjusters you negotiate with are, their job is to get you to settle for as low of a number as possible. Adjusters will try to record you making statements that may suggest comparative fault or pre-existing conditions. They will try to find any argument to use a low multiplier when calculating pain and suffering. A personal injury attorney will advocate for the use of a higher multiplier to yield you a more lucrative settlement. 

Why Hire a Chandler Injury Attorney to Help Determine What your Accident is Worth.

A Chandler Injury Attorney is trained and experienced in valuing cases similar to yours. Instead of sending the insurance a demand letter with a ridiculously high or low sum, leave the valuation- along with drafting your demand letter, negotiating with insurance, coordinating with your doctors, and more- to the professionals. This means more time for you to spend on recovering physically and mentally from your accident. You can have the peace of mind that your attorney is persistently pursuing damages on your behalf. 

How Hiring a Chandler Accident Attorney Should Increase Your Settlement Substantially.

Hiring an attorney early in the process will show the insurance company that you’re serious about pursuing your claim. It also gives your attorney more time to secure evidence before it is lost or the opportunity passes. A Chandler Accident Attorney will be able to negotiate a settlement that is thousands higher than what the insurance company will offer you. While most cases settle out of court, our attorneys are prepared to litigate your claim if it proceeds to trial. Trials are expensive for insurance companies, and our attorneys have years of experience securing high verdicts for our clients in Chandler. 

What’s Next Regarding Your Chandler Auto Accident?

You need to move fairly quickly when proceeding with a personal injury claim after a car accident. The Statute of Limitations to file your lawsuit (not to send your demand letter or file a claim with insurance) is 2 years from the date of your accident in Arizona. You or your attorney should be working on gathering evidence and negotiating with insurance as soon as possible after your accident. A simple, risk-free way to get started is by calling our firm to schedule your free initial consultation. Learn more about the value of your claim and the personal injury process free of charge- call today!