Florida Personal Injury Lawyer: Win Your Settlement

Florida, a beautiful state in the southeast US, is the third-most populous state in the country. It is filled with elements to enchant everyone. From the relaxing wooden area in the northwest to the fun-filled and history-rich regions of central Florida, you’re never short of things to do and see when you’re in this wonderful state.

You’d have to be gifted to be a US state without a few bad apples. Florida has its share of them as well.

So what do you do when you come into contact with one of these bad apples and end up hurt? You hire a Florida personal injury lawyer. This is the only correct thing to do.

A personal injury lawyer comes with a wide range of benefits. When you hire a lawyer to handle your personal injury case, you can expect them to:

Help you understand the complexities of personal injury law
Prepare an estimate for all the damages sustained
Take full advantage of all the evidence at hand
Fill out all forms relevant to the case
Communicate with the at-fault party’s insurance company
Negotiate for fair compensation
Represent you in court during a personal injury trial

All the points mentioned above carry equal weight. But this article is going to focus on settlement negotiations.

Settlement Negotiation: The Final Step in a Personal Injury Case

During settlement negotiations, all the parties involved in the personal injury case will meet at a private location. The objective of this meeting is to discuss the requested settlement and come to an agreement.

Once an agreement is made, the victim will be asked to sign a waiver. Once the victim signs this waiver, they will get the accepted settlement offer. They also lose the right to legally pursue the at-fault party in the future. Exceptions do exist for reopening closed cases in Florida.

Settlement Negotiation: The Final Step in a Personal Injury Case

Since this is the final step in a personal injury case, it is crucial to tread carefully. One small mistake is all it takes to get lower compensation.

The sections below will talk about some of the mistakes that you should avoid to acquire fair compensation.

Mistake 1: Attending Settlement Negotiations Without a Lawyer

You are sure to get scammed if you’re attending an out-of-court negotiation without hiring a lawyer.

Experienced lawyers come with the skills to handle settlement negotiations. They know all the tactics of insurance companies and will easily counter them.

They’re also helpful in preventing the representatives of the insurance company from getting too aggressive.

Without a personal injury lawyer, you’re sure to leave the negotiation empty-handed or with an amount that is nowhere near your actual losses.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Psychological trauma

Accidents cause physical, emotional, and property damage. Physical and property damages are often included by the victim and the insurance adjuster themselves. This is because it’s easy to put a number on these damages.

But that’s not the case with psychological trauma.

It is difficult to assign a dollar value to psychological trauma as it is intangible. As a result, it’s easy to completely forget them during settlement estimation and negotiation.

Mistake 3: Not Carrying Enough Evidence

Just about all settlement discussions involve some amount of negotiation. However, it is important to note that the burden of proof is on the victim. So they will be expected to prove that they deserve the amount they have requested.

Without sufficient evidence to back up their statements or requests, the victim isn’t going to get fair compensation. You also need evidence to justify a counteroffer.

Mistake 4: Getting Emotional

Emotions have no place in settlement negotiations. You are fighting against a corporate organization that is hell-bent on stopping you from getting paid. Your tears or pleading aren’t going to affect the suited devils.

Getting emotional also makes you vulnerable to making mistakes.

Therefore, stay calm and levelheaded and respond to their requests and insults without getting angry.