Should I Finish My Medical Treatment Before Agreeing to a Settlement?

If you’ve suffered a severe injury due to the negligence of someone else, you’re not only dealing with a lot of pain, but probably a lot of hassle as well. The insurance company of the negligent party is more than likely pressuring you into accepting a settlement. Whether you’ve been in a car accident, a slip and fall or any other type of accident, you’ve already got enough on your plate. The last thing you need is insurance company harassment.

At the same time, however, your accident-related expenses keep piling higher and higher. Not only are you getting medical bills every other day, you’ve also lost money because you’re too injured to work. The insurer keeps waving money in front of you, and you’re very tempted to take their offer. Even though your treatment isn’t complete, and you have no idea how much it will eventually cost, you might be thinking of accepting the settlement and getting on with your life.

Please don’t do it. That money won’t come close to paying for all of your expenses. Let the personal injury attorneys with the Jones Law Group work on your behalf so we can help you get what you actually deserve. Contact us online or call (727) 571-1333 to schedule a free case review.

Personal Injuries Often Require Long-Term Treatment

Any sort of accident that results in a personal injury case can involve a catastrophic injury that could require years of extensive treatment. When a pedestrian is hit by a car, for example, that can lead to broken bones and other damage. The costs associated with treating these injuries could easily reach into the tens of thousands of dollars. Perhaps even hundreds of thousands.

It would be understandable for the victim of a catastrophic injury to give in to the incessant hounding of an insurance company. If you’re in this category, it’s in your best interest to be as patient as can be. It’s a lot to ask, no doubt. But if you don’t know how much your treatment will eventually cost, how can you hope to obtain fair compensation?

Knowing the Full Cost of Your Treatment Before Accepting Your Settlement

You should never accept any sort of settlement from an insurance company until you’ve reached what is known as “maximum medical improvement”. We’ll go into detail about this later in this article. You might need to undergo multiple surgeries. And you might also have to go through physical therapy for the foreseeable future.

The insurance company has a really, really good idea of how much your ultimate costs will be. The settlement they offer won’t come close to covering those costs. If you take it, you’ll have to figure out a way to pay the difference. It’s not a stretch to say that accepting an unfair settlement could lead to decades of financial uncertainty and misery.

An experienced personal injury attorney will also have a very good idea of how much your treatment and other accident-related expenses will cost. Your legal representative will work to negotiate a fair settlement offer on your behalf.

Start Medical Treatment Immediately After Your Injury

Hopefully, you’ve already begun getting the treatment you need. Even if you only think you have a minor injury, you might have suffered much more damage than you realize. If you fail to get the treatment you need, and that injury is worse than you assume it to be, that could make it almost impossible for you to get the money you deserve.

Getting medical attention isn’t just important for your health – it’s also important for the health of your personal injury case. So, please get the help you need, and follow the advice of your doctor to the letter. It could very well make the difference between getting what you have coming to you, and getting nothing.

What is Maximum Medical Improvement?

When you get to the point in your recovery where further medical treatment won’t result in any further improvement, that’s known as maximum medical improvement. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re completely recovered. It just means that you won’t get any better, regardless of what doctors do.

You might have a traumatic brain injury, for example, and you might ultimately reach a point where you can perform everyday tasks but you still have issues with your memory. You’re not where you were before the accident, but you’ve still reached maximum medical improvement.

Only Accept a Settlement After Maximum Medical Improvement

Why is this important? When you reach MMI, that means your treatment is done – and you’ll know exactly how much it will cost. If you accept a settlement before reaching MMI, your injuries could worsen, and you could need more treatment to deal with those complications. Once you take that offer, there’s no going back. You won’t be able to get any more money from the insurance company.

Insurance Companies are Eager to Settle Low and Fast

There is a very high likelihood that after you were hurt, and the insurance company learned the extent of your injuries, it almost immediately knew how much your treatment would cost. Insurers use sophisticated methods of calculating damages (monetary losses), and they’ll do everything they can to pay less than what you deserve.

Talk to a Personal Injury Attorney at Jones Law Group Before Accepting a Settlement Offer

Insurers feel much more of a responsibility to their shareholders than accident victims. They focus on making profits, not doing what’s right. Let an attorney fight for you and force the insurance company to actually do the right thing.

The Jones Law Group has a team of experienced attorneys who know how to do just that. When you work with us, you can rest assured that we’ll do everything we can to make sure justice is served. And we’ll help you obtain full and fair compensation for your injuries.

If you would like to schedule a free consultation, please call (727) 571-1333 or use our online contact form.