A car accident victim can recover the largest damages award from the negligent driver and their insurance company when the victim presents strong evidence to show the full extent of their economic and non-economic damages. That evidence includes bills from hospitals and doctors, pay stubs that show a reduction in earnings after an accident, expense records for occupational therapy and rehabilitation, and witness testimony demonstrating the victim’s pain and suffering from injuries sustained in the accident.
At Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman in New York and New Jersey, we use the available evidence in every case to fight for the most money that clients are entitled to receive in car crash lawsuits. We work hard to help make our clients whole after an accident disrupt their lives.
How can a car accident victim preserve evidence that justifies a large damages award?
People who suffer serious injuries need to tend to their health before they worry about preserving evidence. When that is taken care of, the individual should retain an experienced car accident lawyer to begin the accident investigation and notify insurers and other parties of pending claims. That lawyer will review police reports, get information from witnesses, retain experts to analyze the vehicles and the crash site, and alert all potentially liable parties of their responsibility to pay damages to the injured victim.
Can accident victims get more money by dealing directly with car insurance companies?
Car insurance companies have a strong incentive to settle accident cases quickly and for the lowest amount of money. Injured parties that accept quick settlements from insurers or sign liability waivers might later discover that they need additional medical services. When an insurance claim is settled and closed quickly, however, the injured party usually cannot reopen the claim to recover additional compensation.
Knowledgeable car accident lawyers will look at the full scope of an accident victim’s losses and fight for actual and anticipated future medical expenses, lost wages, losses associated with missed job opportunities, and loss of companionship with family and friends. This could also include all other hard and soft costs that the injured party will face in the weeks and months after an accident. Further, an attorney will handle communications with insurers and prevent them from putting undue pressure on an accident victim to settle a case.
How can an accident victim get the most money for pain and suffering?
A car accident victim’s damages for pain and suffering are non-economic losses that are not supported by hard evidence like hospital bills and pay stubs. Liability insurers will frequently use default formulas to calculate the value of a victim’s pain and suffering, including, for example, multiplying hard losses by a factor of two or three. They could also offer a set amount for the number of days required for the victim to fully recover from injuries.
Skillful car accident lawyers will challenge these default formulas with detailed narratives to show how an accident victim’s injuries have adversely affected their life. The ability to frame this narrative is often the most significant factor in recovering the largest monetary award for pain and suffering.
Call the Car Accident and Injury Lawyers at Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, & Graifman
For more than 45 years, we have fought to recover the most money for our injured car accident clients. We know the tricks and techniques that negligent drivers and their insurers use to persuade accident victims to accept low settlements. We respond to those efforts with evidence-based arguments to recover the largest available damages for our New York and New Jersey clients.
Please see our website or call us as soon as possible after you have suffered injuries in an auto accident in Rockland or Bergen Counties or elsewhere in New York or New Jersey.