Seek medical help as soon as the accident happens: Immediately after your accident, it’s important that you seek medical care. You need to have all your injuries and even potential injuries treated by a medical professional. Some injuries may be masked by your adrenaline and take hours or days to appear. Failure to seek medical treatment could imply that your injuries are not severe enough to need help or compensation for them.

Find an attorney for a consultation to begin the claims process: The sooner you hire a personal injury attorney, the better. Under Alabama law, the statute of limitations for a personal injury case is two years from the date the injury occurred. The consultation will first determine the liability of the case and then move forward if there is a legitimate accident claim. Try to find a lawyer that will represent clients in court, even if you don’t think your case will end up in front of a judge. Some attorneys only handle settlements and may pressure you to accept an offer to obtain a client fee.

Your attorney will start an investigation to collect evidence: The types of evidence an attorney may gather will depend on the specific case. Evidence could include witness statements, photographs or video footage of the incident, medical records, police reports, and other documents relevant to the case.

Your attorney will draft a demand letter to the insurance company: A demand letter is a formal document that outlines the legal basis for a claim and demands specific actions from the recipient. In a personal injury case, a demand letter may be sent to an insurance company or an individual responsible for causing the injury. The demand letter may request compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages resulting from the injury.

Your attorney will begin settlement negotiations with the insurance company: After the demand letter, the insurance company will respond to the claim with a settlement offer based on your injury and other damages. Your attorney will negotiate with the insurance company as many times as needed to try to obtain compensation for your injuries. Unfortunately, insurance companies are interested in their own profits and will try to downplay the severity of your injuries. This is where having an experienced lawyer is necessary because they can fight back to get a higher settlement amount.

If settlement negotiations fail, your attorney will go to trial: If negotiations fail, the case can go to trial. This is where your attorney will represent you in court before a judge. Going to trial can be a lengthy and expensive process, but can lead to a higher settlement.

Some attorneys are hesitant to go to court or know they simply don’t have the experience to represent you. They may try to get you to settle for less. At Wettermark Keith, we will gladly go to court to get you a fair settlement.

Receive compensation now that your attorney has won your case: Once a settlement or court judgment has been obtained, the compensation from the claim or lawsuit will be paid to you.