Anyone who has been hurt or had their car damaged in a car accident has had an opportunity to rub shoulders with an insurance company. While some have a good experience, others find it rough.
If you have been in a car accident due to negligence and wants compensation, you will have to fight back to get a fair award. The latter is possible with a compelling demand letter. It’s one of the best strategies to get a favorable outcome of your car accident claim.
What You Need To Know Before Drafting Your Demand Letter
When we talk of the demand letter being the core thing, it doesn’t mean you will give every detail of how your car accident happened. You will only need a simple outline relevant to your case. For instance, you can have your letter highlight the below:
- Your injuries
- Who is liable for your injuries
- The extent of the damage
- What you think your claim is worth
- When you expect compensation
A common mistake claimants make during their personal injury case is a lack of facts about their accidents. Once you lack facts, issue such as establishing liability becomes an uphill battle.. The details regarding your accident have to be at your fingertips.. For this, there are a few considerations you can make. They include:
- Understanding your injuries:It’s always vital to reach your maximum medical improvement after a car accident. By this, you will have a clear understanding of whether your injuries may escalate and any expenses on your future medical costs. Here, it would help to be keen on the symptoms you feel. Remember that you cannot file your claim again after signing the release to recover the cost of recurring injuries except in certain circumstances. Furthermore, having the correct medical records also explains how much you suffered.
- Be sure about liability:You cannot demand monetary damages if not sure of who caused your injuries. You need details of how the accident happened and who led to it. Liability is greatly supported by having credible witnesses, police reports, or even photographs you could have taken at the accident scene. If your accident happened in California, you can access the CA police accident report online with basic information regarding the incident.
Note that if you were partly to blame, you would need to be cautious about what to write. You don’t indicate such an issue in a demand letter. This automatically sends a negative message to the insurance adjuster. What to recover for your shared fault is to be discussed when the defendant brings up such a situation.
- Your claims worth:This included every dollar spent from the time of the accident and what facts show how much may be spent in future for injuries suffered. It’s better to set a much higher figure than what you think your claim is worth. That’s why there is a negotiation process.
Once you have the correct facts and supporting documents, it becomes easy to develop an effective demand letter. Also, you can hire a car after an accident as the whole process will take some time. Renting a car will make you be able to go to work and enjoy yourself without feeling the stress of not having transportation.
Importance Of Coming Up With A Demand Letter
Most of the car accident settlement negotiations initiate with a demand letter. A demand letter is a form of a written request detailing the specific reasons for writing up the letter. It states why an action needs to be taken to receive compensation for harm or damages incurred and the date to receive such compensation.
While most victims choose to draft such letters independently, the best and efficient way would be to get help from Bakersfield personal injury lawyer. Such a lawyer will have an idea of what your demand letter will contain for a successful case. There are many reasons why one would find it worthwhile to come up with an effective demand letter. Some include:
- Leads to a faster case resolution: You will have to establish a formal way to make the insurance adjuster take you seriously.
- It’s a form of communication that if your demands are not met, you will litigate. No insurance company likes litigations. As such, they will respect your request for negotiation and consider your case demands.
For success, you should have all documentation for every loss you underwent or are undergoing due to a car accident. For instance, if you missed a paid hockey competition, make sure to mention it. The letter must be well written to push the adjuster to evaluate your demand and take action. The latter should be the primary goal when writing your letter.
If you’re wondering how to come up with an effective demand letter, you can speak to an experienced lawyer to guide you. A lawyer can help you include every relevant information needed to support your claim. If your claim looks professional, the adjuster will be inclined to resolve the claim as soon as possible.
Your lawyer will help you negotiate the right amount of recovery. That’s why you should have a car accident lawyer handle your case.