Should You Finish Medical Treatment Before Receiving an Injury Settlement?

Medical complications following an accident and injury may persist or re-emerge even after the initial treatment is over. You may end up with unexpected medical expenses if you accept a personal injury settlement too soon. You will have a better understanding of your overall medical care expenses, physical therapy, and rehabilitation costs if you wait for the full and final medical treatment to be completed.

With that said, there may be a lot of pressure on you from the negligent party’s insurance company to accept an early settlement offer. Additionally, it can be difficult to pay for mounting medical bills and other expenses when you are out of work.

The best thing you can do in this situation is to consult with a proven and trusted personal injury attorney who can build a strong claim and negotiate with the insurance company to help you get the maximum settlement you deserve for your damages and losses.

Immediate and Appropriate Medical Care is Important After a Personal Injury in Alabama

The first thing you need to worry about when injured in an accident is to get immediate and correct medical care. This is even if you feel that your injuries are manageable and not that serious to take a trip to the local hospital. There are certain injuries that don’t have apparent symptoms. Your doctor will conduct imaging tests and physical examinations to find out the extent and severity of the injuries.

Don’t Accept Early Injury Settlement Before MMI

MMI or maximum medical improvement is that stage where the doctors have a clear idea about the extent of injuries, the right treatment options, and any further necessary rehabilitation. You need to know that certain injuries get worse over time. They require additional treatment to compensate for the many complications. For instance, knee injuries usually require multiple medical solutions.

If you agree to an early settlement right after the first treatment, you will not be able to claim compensation for additional treatments down the line. You should never enter a blind negotiation with an insurance company, especially where medical costs are concerned.

There are several factors that come into play when calculating medical costs, such as the length of treatment, severity, recovery timeline, type of treatment, and impact on the remainder of your life.

Severe Personal Injury Could Require Prolonged Treatment, Therapy, and Rehab

It’s natural to want to accept an early settlement offer after you have suffered an injury due to another’s fault. You may grow tired of waiting around for the settlement check. Unfortunately, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and other similar serious injuries often require months or even years of treatment. You need to be patient before you decide to settle.

Once the injury claim is filed, you can wait until maximum medical improvement to settle. This is even if your recovery takes a long time. Insurance companies want to lower your claim and will offer early settlements where they think large medical costs and extended pain and suffering are involved.

They may send an insurance adjuster to you to negotiate the claim. The adjuster may ask you tricky questions or try other ways of making you admit at least a part of the fault.

In fact, many insurance companies make an early (low) offer in the hopes that you won’t know any better. Once you sign the settlement form, you cannot ask for more money.

While these lowball offers seem like insurance bad faith, they are mostly within the bounds of legality. You may end up losing a large amount from a potential settlement, which is valuable money that could have been used towards recovery and helping you move forward with your life.

Situations When Injured Victims May Consider an Early Settlement

You may not require detailed medical treatment if you only suffered a minor injury. Your treatment may be complete by the time the insurance company makes an offer. But you should still consult with an experienced personal injury attorney to determine whether the insurer’s settlement offer is good enough.

Based on this, make sure that there are no further health complications before you accept the offer. You should have a detailed discussion with your doctor about the injuries and how they may impact your life down the road. You should accept an early settlement offer only when you are completely sure that there will be no further complications warranting medical treatment at a later date.

Never accept an offer without speaking with an attorney first. Your attorney will be able to negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance providers. In fact, insurance companies keep early offers intentionally low in anticipation that lawyers will negotiate for a higher compensation value. Your attorney can help you determine the right time to settle.

They will take care of all communications with the insurance company and ensure that you receive fair compensation for your medical costs and damages. A proven and all-star attorney will advise you to settle only when the offer covers all damages, including ‘pain and suffering’.

Insurance companies usually take claims backed by personal injury attorneys more seriously because the lawyer can represent you in court during a trial.

Choose the Results-Driven Personal Injury Law Firm with a Track Record of Large Settlements and Verdicts

Smith Law Firm has helped numerous clients recover high dollar value settlements, including damages for medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, and pain and suffering. If you or someone you care about was injured in an accident due to the fault of another person or entity, we will establish strong evidence and negotiate the maximum possible settlement, while remaining prepared to go to trial if necessary.

Schedule your free case review with our lawyers today. Call us at 334-377-1674 or contact us online.