- Identify Your Full Range of Accident-Related Damages
- Pursue Noneconomic Damages When Possible
- Don’t Admit Fault to Police or Insurers in a Car Accident
- Gather Any Forms of Proof to Support Your Claim for Damages in a Car Accident
- We Know How to Negotiate With Insurance Companies
The best way to increase your car accident settlement is to have a solid understanding of the value of your case. This requires identifying all accident-related expenses and losses, putting a price on future and noneconomic damages, and assessing the value of your claim as a whole. This can be difficult to do on your own. Enlisting the help of a Pittsburgh car accident lawyer can make things much easier.
Discuss your car accident claim with a personal injury lawyer before moving forward and accepting a settlement offer. We can help you understand the damages you may be overlooking and gather evidence to prove your full range of damages.
Identify Your Full Range of Accident-Related Damages
The biggest key to maximizing your car accident settlement is understanding the range and value of damages you suffered. When reviewing your car accident losses, our lawyers account for both past and future damages, and these could include both economic and non-economic damages.
All Pennsylvania car accident victims can hold the at-fault driver liable for their economic damages—their actual expenses and possible future expenses—related to the accident. Our team can help you identify your economic expenses and document their value. This may include:
- Past and future medical care
- Ongoing care costs
- Past and future lost wages and benefits
- Out-of-pocket expenses related to the accident
In addition to collecting bills and receipts, we may need to take additional steps to evaluate your future lost wages and possible medical needs, if this applies in your case. We can call in medical experts, economists, and others to help us understand these costs.
Having an idea of this value and the other damages will help estimate what a fair payout might look like. If you are considering accepting a car accident settlement from the insurance company without going through this process, you could be leaving thousands of dollars unclaimed.
40+ years of experience from strong, knowledgeable, compassionate attorneys.
Start A Free EvaluationPursue Noneconomic Damages When Possible
Under PA Code Title 75 (Chapter 17), some drivers can pursue noneconomic damages while others are barred from doing so. Noneconomic damages include those that do not directly cost you money, but that you suffer nonetheless. They include things like pain and suffering and mental anguish.
Those who can pursue this type of damages fall into one of three categories:
- They opted for full tort insurance coverage
- They suffered serious bodily injury that meets certain criteria
- They met another exception to the limited tort rules
We can investigate exceptions to the limited tort rules or prove that a client met the serious injury threshold when the client did not believe they were eligible for pain and suffering damages. This is another reason why we recommend a free consultation with a member of our team before signing anything from the insurance company.
If you qualify to pursue noneconomic damages, it could double your car accident settlement or increase it even more. Our Pittsburgh personal injury lawyers will not overlook the possibility of pursuing pain and suffering damages when applicable.
We know you’re hurting. We can help. Free case evaluations, home and hospital visits.
Contact Us Now For HelpDon’t Admit Fault to Police or Insurers in a Car Accident
Sometimes, the fault in a car accident is not clear, or you may think you might be somewhat at fault for the accident. When you give an accident report or speak to insurance adjusters, don’t give unnecessary details or speculate on how you might be at fault.
Pennsylvania follows a comparative negligence law per Pa. C.S.A. § 7102, and you can still pursue damages even if you are partially at fault. However, your percentage of fault can reduce how much you receive. If you are more than 50 percent responsible for the accident, you may not get any form of compensation.
The other party may try to unfairly blame you for the accident, which puts your car accident settlement in jeopardy. Try to avoid giving the insurer any statements they can use against you, minimizing communication, or letting one of our lawyers represent your case.
You need an attorney with the experience and dedication to give your case the care it deserves.
Start A Free EvaluationGather Any Forms of Proof to Support Your Claim for Damages in a Car Accident
Memories and evidence quickly fade after a car accident, so the sooner you can obtain evidence, the better. Evidence and testimonies help support your claim for damages, and our car accident lawyers can help collect evidence you may not be able to get on your own. Some of the evidence we can help you gather includes:
- Photographs you, witnesses, or police took of the accident scene
- Video evidence from nearby security cameras or dashboard cameras
- Accident reports from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
- Eyewitness testimonies
- Reports and testimonies of accident reconstruction specialists
- Medical records and invoices that can demonstrate medical expenses and projected medical treatment and needs
These and other forms of proof can help demonstrate liability and the full extent of all your economic and non-economic damages, allowing us to fight for the full value of your car accident settlement.
We can address all the legal hurdles that may be keeping you from getting a fair settlement.
Speak To An Attorney TodayWe Know How to Negotiate With Insurance Companies
At Berger and Green, our team is familiar with the tactics and strategies insurers may try to use against accident victims like you. Their first offer is never their final offer, and we can generally negotiate a fair settlement out of court for most of our clients. We will use our experience and knowledge of Pennsylvania tort law to try to increase your car accident settlement to address each and every one of your losses.
Our firm has more than 40 years of experience helping car accident victims negotiate settlements with insurers or go to court to fight for a fair verdict. If you suffered injuries in Pittsburgh or a nearby area, Berger and Green can help. We will handle your case for you, and you will pay nothing unless we get a recovery on your behalf. Per Pa. C.S.A. § 5524, you have a limited time to act, so call today for your free initial consultation.
