10 secrets on how to double your personal injury settlement. Tips- Phoenix personal injury lawyer
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In this Google Hangout, Phoenix personal injury lawyer John Kelly provides some tips on how you can potentially double your personal injury settlement, with our without using an attorney.
If you have more questions, John has agree to answer your questions. Simply post them in the comments section below and he'll get back to you with an answer.
The first one is that you want to try to establish liability. What that means is that the insurance companies are going to wonder who caused the accident. And you want to get that taken care of as soon as possible. So, you got to keep your evidence of photographs at the scene, talk to witnesses. If you're able to, get the police report.
The second tip. Do not give statements to any insurance companies. What this means is that you'll have both insurance companies, your own and the others. The one's who hit you. There'll be calling you and requesting a statement from you. I would advise you to hold off on giving any statements of not only your accident, how it happened, but also your injuries.
The third tip. Get diagnosed for any injuries that you have. So what this means is that if you have an injury, just don't sit on it and assume that the insurance companies going to give you credit for that injury based on what you tell them. You need to have a professional doctor diagnose that. So you might have to make an appointment with your primary care doctor. If you've already been to the hospital have referrals that you need to follow up with and get those scheduled. That's very important.
The fourth tip. Follow your doctor's orders for your treatment. So this seems like this would be self-explanatory but it becomes difficult with people that are in injuries and car accidents. That's because they have a lot going on. What you want to do is make sure you follow up with all of your doctor's orders. You do the treatment that they've recommended.
The fifth piece of advice. Get all your full bills and records. Now remember, most of these first ones that I'm going over, you don't need an attorney for these. There are cases where you may need an attorney to get involved. But these initial steps are all steps you could do to help you make sure that you're on the right track, right off the bat. So, the fifth step. Get full bills and records. So after you're done treatment or after you get out of the hospital.
The sixth point is to hire an expert to follow up with any deficiencies and outstanding issues in your case. If there's a problem with liability you may need to get someone to review your police reports, go to the scene, do an accident reconstruction. If there's issues that you've had, or preexisting injuries or preexisting conditions that the insurance company is telling you.
The seventh tip that I have. Once you have all this together, you make a demand on the insurance company. And typically you would just want to request a policy limits or an inflated amount that you believe covers all your medical records, pain and suffering and a few future costs that you have. It's sometimes easier to just ask for the full policy limits.
The eighth tip. You want to follow that up with some kind of threat of lawsuit. Understand that these insurance companies, if they see that you're representing yourself they think that you may not have the bite that comes along with them denying you your claims. So, you want threaten a law suit, and if you want to you can get an attorney involved at that point to write a letter for you to have that backing.
The ninth tip. Consult with an attorney regarding any timelines that you have. This may need to happen a little bit earlier because you want to know your statute of limitations. Every state is different. Some statute of limitations run after one year.
And the tenth tip to potentially doubling your claim is to work on your liens and your policy information with the insurance companies. There may be multiple policies, insurance policies that you can pursue. Or the individual individually. And you also have to worry about how the liens from the health care providers that you have. That's something that usually if you have a lot of those, you wanna consult with a a lawyer at least. Because those can add up and you can save up a lot of money to get reductions in your bills from the liens. A lot of the medical care providers will come back and say because you got a injury settlement where we want to be reimbursed.
Kelly Law Team
1 E Washington St.
Suite 500
Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-283-4122
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yes we had to fire an attorney because when I got the medical records from the doctors and hospital it did not match what our own attorney had
From my experience it’s best to file your own claim get claim, policy number. Thus way if the attorney bails on you, you’re know who the insurer is. Yes get your own medical bills, records and redact or eliminate medical history unrelated to claim. Don’t give your social security number.
Hi, I found your video very informative and you seem to genuinly care. I was in a car accident while 7 months prgnant wit my son. The Attorney that I had for 3 yrs didnt help told me to seek other counsel knowing my statue was coming up. My question is Do i have right to file a complaint against him to stop the lein? I have injuries of neck..pinched nerve n minor buldge disc issue. Also has greatly increased my Anxiety too since the accident.
There has been an offer for 20K. how do i know what my medical bills are? Once the adjuster makes an offer can he decrease it? The issue is my staute is coming up.The accident happened Nov 2014. I would appreciate any feedback!! Thanks
YOU should have made sure that your attorney filed a case LONG before the statute ran out. If it expires, all you can do is make a malpractice complaint with the State bar and sue your attorney for damages .
@John Kelly question, hope you can help.
I tried to file three different times a complaint
To the state bar on my lawyer for malpractice.fist time they said it was incomplete.so the second time i doubled checked for the package to be good (statebar)they said the package couldnt be found.
So the third time i turned in the application package and asked for a recipe for proof that i turnd it in .the answer i got was there was no sufficient evidence on me filing the claim on my lawyer. I really feel hes done malpractice.
Can the malpractice my lawyer has done fall in the white collar section?
My lawsuit has been going on for a while.. Got hurt Since 1995
Thank you in advance
I will suggest you to go for national accident insurance company in a country or county you live.
It looks like you may have a case against your lawyer for failing to file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations runs. You may want to call the State Bar in the state that you live in and ask them for a reference to a good malpractice lawyer.
Hi Lara. You have too many factors for me to answer in this forum. Maybe call into my office and I’d be happy to help you out. 602-283-4122
The 10 Tips:
1) Establish proof of the actual accident.
2) Don’t give any statements to the defendant’s insurance company without legal representation because what you legally say wrong can & will be held against you.
3) Get proof of actual injury by means of doctor’s diagnosis.
4) Follow your doctor’s orders of treatment so your medical records can reflect this.
5) Get more documentation like medical bills & records to further build your case in which those medical bills are to be reimbursed by the party at fault.
6) You may need to bring in a expert of some sort to investigate, and solidify your case if there’s questions or holes of some sort surrounding your claim.
7) Make your financial demand to the opposing insurance company that’s based on what you think your case, or claim is worth.
8) Send a threat of lawsuit to back up your demand.
9) Consult with an attorney to get informed about things such as statue of limitations, requirements, and etc. But in all actuality a hired attorney can & will handle most of mentioned tips. And he or she for the most part can & will advise you about many of the mentioned tips like Kelly Law Team is doing in this video.
10) Work on your liens from health care providers. They can add up, and you want to reduce them. And once again legal guidance or work from an attorney is a good ideal.
For number 6. What kind of expert can you get?
Thank you for this! 🤘🏾😎🤘🏾💙
Tip #11 If you have an attorney, ask them to reduce their bills. The standard attorney fee of 33.3% is usually the biggest bill! The attorneys love to discount your health provider bill, but usually don’t like to reduce their own bill. If the attorney is getting more than you from your settlement, you’ve picked the wrong firm. Before you hire an attorney, ask them what their written policies are on reducing their bill.
They won’t neglect your case and work on more lucrative cases instead, if you do this.
Hey John, I’d love your advisement in regards to my recent insurance claim resulting from a motor vehicle concern. Please reply back to confirm you’ve received my inquiry. Thank you
People need to understand this. When you get hurt the first person you call is a attorney. he will direct you where to go after a fender bender. Hospitals do not write reports in your favor…
#1 – Don’t hire a lawyer, especially if there’s no question of fault and/or if the insurance company is being cooperative.
The Insurance is offering me $21,689 for Whiplash and Post Syndrome concussion where I am still in treatment. I have negotiated and made a demand so far they are paying for all the Loss wages, Medical bills but very low pain and suffering. How do I boost up the pain and suffering?
Excellent information Just Looking at the Liens so it can be Reduced if Asked Medical Liens Brilliant information!!!
If a person get PTSD from a car accident do they still get the policy limit or less?
Mr Kelly, I had 2 spine surgeries in 2019, 1 neck fusion and L2 fusion, Aug 5 was my neck surgery and January was my L2, well Nov 17, 2019, someone slammed into me cutting me off the road and totaling my car, we waited for the police for about 1 hr, we exchanged information and she agreed it was her fault and my friend came to the scene and took me to the hospital, because my neck and arms were hurting and later my low back was hurting me too at L4, they did a m.r.i on my neck and found spinal stenosis at 2 levels, which wasn’t there months ago, I had the m.r.i at the same place, the surgery’s I had are fine and my low back hurts like hell, I need morphine, before the accident I was fine, plus my pain management Dr was to put in a fentanyl pump, plus my surgeon wants to check L4 and refuse it and my neck, I see him friday about that, but the back surgery is set for july 22, then 6 weeks later the pain pump, I also was back to work for 3 months, but the pain was so bad I had to sell everything at a loss, it was a company car with 1 million binder, plus auto insurance, should I try to settle this my self, because my medical Bill’s will be around 300k plus business loss and income, I feel we are at a million, plus management of the pain pump is $5000 to 7000 a yr and they need to put a new one every 6 to 8yrs, thats$ 30k, I’m in FL we have 4yrs to file a lawsuit.
You can always see what kind of offer you will get from the adjuster. However, insurance companies are very savvy with unrepresented individuals. You will have some complexities with medical bills, liens, wage loss, and others that I believe would necessitate a local attorney at least reviewing your case with you. I wouldn’t suggest representing yourself with such serious injuries.
File a case right away! Not a lawyer. I have upcoming procedures. And I tell you, you got big payday coming for your pain and losses my friend.
Hi, if a company you were injured at refuse to give you a copy of the incident report, can you write up your own account on what caused your injury and get it notarized?
@John Kelly Thank you for that info.
You can create a statement of the events and provide it to the insurance company. Understand, that any statements you provide can later be used against you later down the line of litigation. There are circumstances where it is helpful to provide your side of the story. Particularly when there are no other witnesses or evidence that would be able to prove what happened. As always, I’ll advise you to consult with an attorney about the statement before sending it.
#1 don’t hire a lawyer. They take 33.3% + cost!
Hi Kelly my question is What’s the average of a head concussion settlement and if I miss a day or two of physical therapy with that decrease my settlement please get back with me
There is a huge variety of outcomes with a concussion. Sometimes, the symptoms of concussions last only a few days, other times the symptoms remain for years. It is very difficult to say what the average amount is when it depends on a lot of other factors.
If you miss a day or two of therapy, it shouldn’t be an issue. You may want to make sure you have a reason you missed in writing to the adjuster or your attorney.
I have a question, my friend told me that she hasnt recieved any $$ for the damages of her vehicle, nor have recieved a rental car. But iv been driving her around to her appointments, does the insurance that was at fault has to cover for the mileage i use for those trips? Hope youre able to answer my question bcuz iv been using allot of gas! 😏
Hi Lisa, in my experience obtaining incidental costs for a friend is not something insurance companies have been paying. Technically, you would need to make a separate claim under your own name. You may want to speak with an attorney in your city to see if it would be an option.
thank yo so very much, what a great vid!
Good afternoon, i have a few questions to ask, 4 days ago my wife and kids were involved in an accident were the person who cause everything got a really bad insurance apperantly they dont have bodily injure coverage and all we can do out of this is have my insurance pay off the car and our insurance will claim a lawsuit against the other persons insurance at the moment my wife was pretty injured and she was taking to anhospital because the air bags exploded and hit her face to the point that hit her noise and she was bleeding a lot her neck and her yaw was hurting and her whole body is full of bruises our lawyers have been saying that theres nothing i can do and theres no sue case in this scenario but the person that cause the accident could have kill my kids and this was an action of irresponsibility!
Sir, what happen if you don’t have witness or photo’s cause your badly injured from the accident ? it wasn’t your fault at all, but the employer put the blame on you ?
Do lawyers and doctors take out 75% of your settlements?
Thank you Sir.