Kirk Bernard

If you have been injured in a Seattle car accident, you are probably counting on your insurance company to determine a fair value for your claim. If you have sustained injuries, you should receive the maximum amount of compensation that you are entitled to receive. However, that’s not how insurance companies think. They’re in this business to make money and maximize their profits. How do they accomplish that? By taking your insurance premiums and reducing the value of your claim or playing hardball when the time comes for you to collect compensation that is due.

This is when determining the value of an injury claim becomes extremely important. However, it is not easy. There are 8 main factors that go into determining the value of your accident claim, which include:

1. Accident circumstances – Who caused the accident? Whose fault was the accident? Your claim will also depend on the facts of the case that are backed up by the police report and eyewitness statements.
2. Injuries – What is the nature of your injuries: minor, moderate, major, catastrophic?
3. Medical treatment – What type of medical treatment did you require? Did you have to undergo surgery? Did you need continuing treatment such as physical therapy as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident?
4. Diagnostic test results – (CT scans, MRIs etc.)
5. Pre-existing conditions – Were the injuries sustained during the accident or as a result of pre-existing conditions, which were aggravated or made worse by the accident.
6. Did you have any previous accident or injuries – For example, if you slipped and fell at home and suffered a back injury a month ago and this new accident made those injuries worse, that could have an impact on your claim.
7. Property damage
8. Insurance coverage limits

Although these are some of the basic factors that go into determining the value of a claim, it’s not easy. The process can be complicated as every accident case is unique with its own set of circumstances. Don’t try to do it all yourself. The best and most effective way to assess your injury claim is to have a case evaluation with the experienced Seattle personal injury lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. We have extensive experience and the access to experts who have worked for insurance companies. These experts know all the tricks insurance adjusters have up their sleeves and the games they will play to reduce the value of your claim.

Please call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington personal injury cases, which has useful educational information that will help you understand your legal rights and options. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Facebook, MySpace or Twitter can be great social networking tools. But they can do some pretty big-time damage when it comes to your Washington personal injury case. Let me tell you why. When you suffer an injury as a result of someone else’s negligence and you file a personal injury claim, insurance companies start checking up on you. The Internet has become a tremendous tool in the hands of insurance company. It is one more tool that helps them research where you are, what you are doing and how they can use it against you and get away by not paying your claim. Insurance companies also use information you may put on Facebook or any such social networking site to drastically reduce the value of your claim. Here are some tips you may want to consider to help maintain your injury claim:

1. Photos – Posting photos of yourself and the activities you participate in can be quite tricky. If you file a claim saying that you sustained serious back injuries in a car accident, but post photos from a ski trip, that’s going to look bad before a jury that is considering your personal injury claim.
2. What You Say – If you sound happy or share your thoughts and feelings – that might also be a problem. An insurance adjuster may well ask: “Why is this person sounding so happy and positive days after an accident? Was it then really as bad as he claims it is?” You do not want someone walking away from your Facebook page misconstruing statements or comments you made. And yes, insurance companies will take your comments out of context.
3. Your Whereabouts – Do not tell people where you were at a certain time. Saying on your site that you were out partying until 2 in the morning is going to leave people wondering whether you were really injured.
4. Videos – These offer an even clearer picture of what you were up to. Compromising photos or videos have the potential to completely ruin your personal injury case.
5. Close Your Account – If you can survive without doing Facebook, MySpace or Twitter until your case is settled, then that’s what you should do. No matter how careful you are, there is just something an insurance adjuster may find that may be used unfairly against you. Please do not take that chance on a matter that might affect you for the rest of your life.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys at The Bernard Law Firm for a comprehensive consultation that we will provide at no charge to you. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about filing a personal injury claim. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.