How to File a Personal Injury Claim in Florence, SC

If you have been injured in an accident, you must file a personal injury claim to receive compensation for your injuries. You sue the person or entity responsible for your accident in a personal injury claim. This process can be challenging depending on the circumstances of the case. Here is what you need to know about how to file a personal injury claim in Florence.

Step 1: Seek Medical Treatment

You must seek medical treatment immediately following your accident. See a medical professional even if you don’t feel that your injuries were severe. First, some damages don’t appear until later, and you want to ensure that you have established a pattern of care if and when you experience more symptoms later. Secondly, the entity responsible will argue that since you didn’t get medical treatment, your injuries were not severe, which may hurt your case.

Step 2: Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney

As soon as you start medical treatment, you need to hire an attorney. Learn how a Florence SC personal injury lawyer can serve you because the other party’s insurance company will call you and try to work out a lowball settlement. Therefore, it is in your best interest to have a representative who will negotiate with them on your behalf. You don’t want to have to negotiate with them alone.

Even if you don’t hire an attorney, you should at least have a conversation with one. They can inform you of your options and help you make the best choice. Also, remember that most personal injury attorneys don’t charge a fee until you win your case.

Your law firm will assign your case to one of their skilled attorneys, who will go through the ins and outs of the process, making sure you understand your rights and responsibilities.

Step 3: Starting a Claim

Your attorney will contact the other party’s insurance company to attempt to work out a settlement. The good news is that most personal injury cases end here, with a quick settlement that will allow you to get compensation for your injuries. This settlement process can take a few days to a few months but is not as time-consuming or daunting as a trial.

Step 4: Gathering Information and Getting Treatment

While you are in settlement talks, it is helpful to gather as much information as possible about your injuries if you have to go to trial. This means gathering your accident reports, medical records, eyewitness statements, and video evidence if you have it. Continue to receive treatment for your injuries and keep up with any appointments.

One piece of advice you will receive from your attorney will be to refrain from discussing the accident, your injuries, or your post-accident life on social media. Insurance companies will hunt every photo, post, or comment you publish on the Internet to deny your claim or downsize it. So if you accuse post-accident pain and injuries, don’t post images from your city break.

Step 5: Negotiating a Settlement

Both sides will come to the table with an offer, and hopefully, there will be a resolution at this point. Your attorney will go back and forth with offers and counteroffers for the other side until both sides reach an agreement. If no agreement is reached, you will proceed to trial.

Step 6: Trial and Conclusion

If you cannot reach a settlement offer, you will proceed to trial. This can be a lengthy and stressful process that involves multiple witnesses, evidence, and either a jury or a judge. Most insurance companies and attorneys aim to avoid this, but in cases where you expect a significant payout, a trial is often inevitable. However, if you can convince the judge or jury that the other party was at fault, you will receive non-taxable compensatory damages and win the case.

Final Thoughts

If you have been hurt in an accident, you will need the right attorney to fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Don’t let another person’s or your employer’s negligence ruin your life. There are limitations on how long you can start one after the accident, so don’t wait too late to contact a law firm and file your claim.