It’s devastatingly unfair to suffer injuries due to someone else’s negligence. It’s a natural desire – and your legal right – to pursue justice through a claim. However, the saying “patience is a virtue” is a helpful mantra during this time.
If you’ve been injured in a construction accident, car accident, bus accident, or other personal injury accident, you’ll likely need money to cover your medical bills and other expenses. And that’s just what insurance companies are hoping for.
Whether you were injured on the job and your company is liable, or you were hit in a motorcycle accident and the other driver’s insurance company is reaching out to you – remember not to accept a settlement too soon.
Insurance companies make settlements sound appealing by offering you money quickly, knowing you need money to cover medical treatments. But these first settlement offers are usually too low.
Knowing How Much Your Claim Is Worth
Accident victims in Albuquerque, New Mexico often accept an unjustly low settlement offer because they don’t know what their claim is really worth. In a personal injury case, you might be entitled to recover damages for a variety of areas – medical expenses, rehabilitation fees, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Quickly calculating the compensation you deserve is tricky because:
- Putting a dollar amount on your losses is difficult – especially when it comes to non-economic losses such as pain and suffering.
- It takes time to understand all the expenses you might be facing.
So, how can you know what a fair settlement looks like? One thing you can do is wait until you reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI).
MMI is defined by the New Mexico Statutes Chapter 52 as the point at “which further recovery from or lasting improvement to an injury can no longer be reasonably anticipated based upon reasonable medical probability as determined by a health care provider.”
MMI is a point at which a doctor can tell you what your injuries will look like and cost you down the road. For example, what kind of ongoing treatment will you require? What will that treatment cost? Will you have permanent disfigurement or loss of abilities?
What’s Next?
Waiting until MMI gives you evidence of the medical compensation you need, but it can also put you at risk of running up against New Mexico’s three-year statute of limitations. A New Mexico personal injury attorney can help you file your case effectively and claim what you need to cover your expenses caused by the accident.
An attorney like Brian K. Branch can make sure your settlement is fair. So while you might be impatient to take your settlement, remembering to wait for additional medical and legal counsel can help you in the long run. With over 30 years of experience, Brian K. Branch is here to give you the upper hand in your Albuquerque personal injury case. Call 505.207.4401