Were you injured in a motor vehicle crash? Read these 4 motorcycle accident recommendations for you, then contact our Phoenix lawyers today.
1) Claim Timeline
One of the most important things that’s going to play a role in the time that it takes to resolve your case is the amount of injuries. How much treatment is needed? How long is it going to take for you, the injured party, to convalesce and to rehabilitate, to get you back up to full strength, and then to look and see what the claims are, the involved parties are, if it’s able to be settled before filing the lawsuit in court or if it has to go all the way to trial.
There is a spectrum of things that will need to happen, and that lends a spectrum of time in which these things need to be resolved. No attorney should be dragging their feet on your case, and we won’t either. No attorney should be knee-jerking and resolving your case before you get the maximum value of your case, on the other hand. When you call our office to talk with one of our attorneys, we’ll discuss all of the facts of your case, the evidence of your case, and make sure that we give you some kind of timeline that we think it will take to resolve this, and we’ll adjust that timeline as more investigation happens and as more discovery and other things related to the litigation process happen.
2) Claim Value
Valuing a motorcycle claim is similar to a car accident or a bus accident. You have to look at the injuries – past injuries, present injuries, and medical expenses that will be reasonably anticipated in the future. You put all of that together to determine what the value of the case is – how much pain and suffering, how much impact this has had as far as missing work is concerned, insurance bills, loss of consortium at home and enjoyment of life, etc.
You’ll sit with an experienced attorney who will go over all of these factors with you and come up with a holistic value of your case that we feel is reasonable to represent your injuries. That would then be the amount that we would pursue. These values vary from case to case, depending on the amount of injuries. Some motorcycle injuries are lesser, soft tissue injuries, but there are others that are life-threatening. Depending on the type of accident that you had, the level of injury will determine the amount of value that is associated with your case. These are all facts that you’ll go over with your attorney in determining the value of your case.
3) Common Mistakes To Avoid
As with most accidents, there is a strong emotional component to it— the want and the desire to get back up on your feet and get moving again, back to the normal course of life. Oftentimes, a rush to do this is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make when it comes to a motorcycle accident and the underlying injuries. Of course, the insurance company and the bad driver is going to be looking at how fast you returned back to your normal course of duties because they’ll use that as some type of indication to determine how injured you really were. Sometimes you can return to some duties but still be severely injured and convalescing and rehabilitating. One of the worst things you could do, if you’re a victim and injured in a motorcycle accident, is rush too fast. You want to take the advice of your doctors and take the time that is necessary to heal and to convalesce, but don’t do too much too fast.
Make sure you discuss it with your lawyer so that you’re not doing things that will hinder your case. If you got in a motorcycle accident yesterday, you shouldn’t be out playing basketball today, if you’re asserting that you’re injured. You want to talk with your lawyer along the way as you resume the normal duties of your life. Make sure you speak with your lawyer so you make sure you’re not doing anything that hinders and hampers your case. Make sure you have that fluid conversation with your attorney so that you can always get the best possible outcome as it relates to your motorcycle accident.
4) Talking to Insurance Companies
After a motorcycle accident, you will have a barrage of calls from insurance companies – your insurance company, the at-fault driver’s insurance company, the healthcare insurance companies – the list goes on and on of folks who will want to talk with you. They’ll want to get recorded statements from you. One thing should be abundantly clear— it is so important that you retain competent counsel as soon as possible after being involved in an accident because the insurance companies will press you for a recorded statement. Please be assured that they’re not recording these statements for your benefit; it’s for their benefit to determine the amount of liability. Yes, your own insurance company can deny liability for your injuries that you have sustained as a result of the accident.
Were you or a loved one seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash in Arizona and have questions about these 4 motorcycle accident recommendations for you? Contact experienced Phoenix Motorcycle Accident Attorneys at Smith & Green today for a legal consultation.
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