6 Faqs Regarding Your Personal Injury Settlement

If you've been injured by someone else or on someone else's property, you may be wondering what you can get in a personal injury settlement. If you are unfamiliar with personal injury settlements, check out these six FAQs.

Is Treatment Required?

It's your body, and you have the right to refuse or seek medical treatment for your injuries. However, if you don't seek treatment immediately, your settlement may be affected. You may want to wait until after you've received your settlement to see the doctor because you need the money to pay the medical bills. However, if you wait, I reflects poorly on you in two main ways. Firstly, it makes the courts and insurance carriers feel your injuries aren't as severe as you claim. Lastly, if you wait to seek treatment, your injuries may worsen, requiring more medical attention and money, which the courts won't like because they may believe you did it just to get more money.

What Happens if You're Partially Responsible?

In some cases, the other person is completely responsible for your injuries, but in many cases, you are likely partially responsible. In most states, if you are found partially responsible, your settlement is reduced by that much. For example, if you are found to be 15 percent responsible, your settlement is reduced by 15 percent. Unfortunately, in some states, contributory negligence is the law. In these states, you may not get any settlement if you are even remotely found to be responsible.

How Is the Settlement Determined?

It may sound depressing, but your settlement is just a formula used by the insurance carriers. The insurance company first calculates all your medical expenses, because those are typically always covered. The insurance carrier then determines the extent of the accident and assigns it a number. The higher the number, the worse the accident. This number and your total medical expenses are multiplied to create number that is the starting point for negotiations.

Are Medical Expenses Included in the Settlement?

At the very least, if you win your personal injury lawsuit or if you accept a settlement directly from the insurance company, it will pay for any incurred medical expenses. However, if your injury is bad enough, you may have lingering problems. This is when your doctor and lawyer can work with you to determine if your injuries are severe enough for additional money. Again, this is also why it's important to see your doctor and continue treatment during the entire process.

What About Lost Income?

It isn't just medical expenses you may be worried about. After the accident, you may not be able to work for a while, and without a steady paycheck, you can quickly drown in bills. Luckily, a skilled injury attorney can argue and win you lost income. The lost income settlement should include any income you've already lost due to the injury, but it may also include future income if you're not expected to return to work for a while.

Is Pain and Suffering Covered?

One of the biggest reasons people sue or seek legal advice is because they believe they have pain and suffering, which is hard to prove. Pain and suffering is the long term effects of the injury, and it is particularly important when you've lost some enjoyment in life. After an accident, you may have a long-term injury that causes depression, anxiety, etc. Even if you don't have a severe injury, if the accident was bad enough, it could cause emotional distress. If your lawyer can prove that your life is not the same after the accident, you may be able to get pain and suffering.

If you've been injured because of someone else, don't fight it alone. There are too many mistakes to avoid and hoops through which to jump. Get a skilled accident and injury attorney. For more information regarding personal injury law, contact a lawyer in your area today. You can also visit websites like http://www.ggwmlawoffice.com.