After a devastating car accident on an Oakland interstate or boulevard, it’s fair to wonder how much you should be demanding for your injuries and hardships. You’ll need that compensation to pay for the best medical care available. You’ll use it to keep your family financially supported as you miss more and more time at work.
It’s impossible to estimate the value of your car accident claim without knowing the details of what happened and the full diagnosis of your injury. Your attorney would need to hear from you about what happened and then conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the case. Only then could you get an accurate picture of what your case is worth.
It’s hard to put an exact number on your potential compensation after an accident, but certain factors play a big role in what your settlement check will look like. Going over these factors can give you a peek at what you should expect from an at-fault driver’s car insurance provider.
Contact an Oakland Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Talking over your case with a skilled Oakland Car Accident Lawyer is the best way to get an idea of what your injury claim should be worth. Fortunately, there’s a no-risk way to draw on the knowledge and experience of a real Oakland attorney.
Quirk Reed, LLP, offers a free case consultation to all Bay Area personal injury victims and their families. This consultation is confidential and it comes with no obligation. It’s a chance to get your questions answered and find out what you could earn from an insurance company.
The Importance of Knowing What your Car Accident Injury Is Worth
After getting rear-ended by a reckless driver while stopped in a traffic jam on I-880 or t-boned at a busy intersection on Broadway, you could be in no position to fight for the full value of your injury.
Insurance companies will fight you every step of the way to devalue your claim and limit what they have to pay out for an at-fault driver. This common struggle to get an insurance adjuster to do the right thing is just one reason it’s important for you to know the full range of what your case could earn. You need to know injury recovery will cost so that insurance representatives can’t convince you to accept a “lowball” settlement offer that leaves you short.
What Determines the Value of My Oakland Car Accident Injury Settlement
Your medical prognosis will play an important role in what you’ll be justified in asking for in an insurance claim. The longer it takes you to heal, the more support you’ll need to pay for doctor bills and physical therapy sessions. All injuries are different and different people heal at different rates.
Some broken bones can resist healing and need to be broken again and reset. With traumatic injuries, home care and medical equipment might also be an absolute necessity. These variables are why you can’t accept a settlement offer until you know you’ve fully healed. Once you’ve signed a settlement agreement, you can’t go back to ask for more when you have an injury flare-up.
The longer recovery takes, the more work hours you’ll likely miss. You’ll be losing paychecks and benefits while you are off your feet. Perhaps a permanent disability will leave you unable to work ever again. These possibilities must be considered in any settlement amount.
These damages and others help determine how much your family will receive from a car insurance company:
- The sum total of your current medical bills and estimates on the future care you may need.
- Estimates on the cost of lifelong care if you suffer permanent physical disabilities or disfigurement.
- Support for the pain a victim endures.
- Support for the emotional trauma an Oakland car accident victim is left with.
- Totals on lost paychecks and benefits while a victim is out of work.
- Repair or replacement costs for a damaged vehicle and personal property.
What Can My Family Earn in a Wrongful Death Car Accident Settlement?
Families left behind after a tragic fatal car accident must also protect themselves from financial issues. They’ll be encouraged to file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver’s insurer.
The amount of support negotiated in a wrongful death settlement will depend on these very real hardships for the family.
- Leftover medical bills.
- The ambulance fees and emergency response fees charged after an accident.
- The costs of a funeral service and a burial.
- Support for the loss of guidance and care the loved one can no longer provide in the future.
- Support for the loss of income the deceased can no longer provide the family in the years to come.
An Oakland wrongful death lawyer with Quirk Reed, LLP, safeguards the family during such a difficult time and determines how much in support they should receive. Quirk Reed, LLP, would then fight to secure every benefit available for the family while providing as little disruption for grieving loved ones as possible.
How Your Choice in Car Accident Attorney Affects the Amount of Your Settlement
The other factor that makes it hard for us to estimate how much you’ll receive in a car accident claim is that there’s no set amount mandated for car accident victims. The settlement amounts can vary greatly even for two different people with the same injury.
Often, it’s the experience and negotiating skills of the attorney you choose that determine the final total of your settlement check. Your Quirk Reed, LLP, car accident attorney will first investigate your case to gather every piece of evidence available. Having a case backed by strong evidence and witness testimony makes it harder for insurance adjusters to find ways to deny your claim. A solid case also gives your attorney a stronger place to negotiate from.
If you have a less experienced lawyer or no lawyer on your side at all, you’ll find that insurance companies get away with offering much lower settlements. These types of settlements can leave you or your family paying for half or more of your recovery costs out of pocket. Your attorney helps you send back offers that are too low and fights for more.
Insurance companies also like to try to scare you into accepting a percentage of blame in an accident that wasn’t your fault in any way. If you accept some of the blame, they get to cut your accident compensation totals. Your Lawyer protects you from this tactic to make sure the blame stays on the at-fault driver.
Contact an Oakland Car Accident Lawyer
You should speak with Quirk Reed, LLP, before talking with any insurance company representative. Even if you don’t intend to use a car accident lawyer, you still need to have an idea of what you should demand from a car insurance company before they convince you your pain is worth nothing at all.
Contact the Oakland Car Accident Lawyers at Quirk Reed, LLP, for a free case review that comes with no obligation to you. If you decide we can help you get the most out of your car accident injury claim, you won’t need to worry about how you’ll pay us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case, and then our fees come out of the settlement money we secure for you.