Anatomy of a Michigan Personal Injury Claim (Part 1)

Car accidents, trucking accidents, dog bites, falls, and workplace accidents can all cause personal injuries. No one wants to suffer an injury, but if you were hurt and someone else was at fault, you may wonder what you should do and whether you are entitled to financial compensation. The Michigan personal injury lawyers at Muth Law, P.C. are here to help you understand the process of filing a personal injury claim. We will fight to protect your rights and ensure you receive full and fair compensation for your injuries.

Steps for Filing a Personal Injury Claim

While the specifics of presenting a personal injury claim will vary depending on how your injuries occurred, a common process that occurs across most personal injury claims.

#1 - Seek Medical Treatment

After an accident, you need to take care of yourself. You should see a doctor even if you think your injuries were minor. In most cases, this means a trip to the emergency room.

Promptly seeking medical attention is important to protect your health and well-being. A doctor will examine you and prescribe medical treatment. Do your best to follow the doctor’s instructions and follow up as appropriate.

In addition to being important for your health, visiting the emergency room and your primary care doctor is also critical for successfully presenting a personal injury claim. If a doctor does not evaluate and document your injuries, the insurance company will assume that your injuries were not serious and will refuse to pay your personal injury claim.

#2 - Meet with the Personal Injury Lawyers at Muth Law

Once your health has stabilized, contact the personal injury lawyers at Muth Law. During your free, confidential consultation, we will listen as you describe the accident, the injuries you sustained, your medical treatment, and how the accident has affected your daily life.

During our first meeting, we will develop a plan to recover the financial compensation you and your family deserve.

#3 - Notify the Insurance Company

Once you have hired Muth Law, we will identify the insurance companies for the people who caused your injuries and notify them that we represent you. We will advise them to contact us with any questions about your personal injury claim.

#4 - Investigation

During the investigation phase, we will learn more about the circumstances that caused your injuries and how your injuries affected your life. This often involves requesting reports, taking witness statements, identifying additional parties that may have had a role in causing your injuries, and speaking with medical providers about the care and treatment they provided.

We will work to fully understand the nature and extent of your injuries and obtain the documentation needed to support your claim for financial compensation.

#5 Negotiation and Settlement

Once we have gathered the information necessary to fully document the nature and extent of your injuries and the effect they had on you, we will present that information to the insurance companies through a settlement demand. We will request compensation for your economic damages, including medical bills and lost wages, and for non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering and emotional trauma caused by the accident and your injuries. Then we will negotiate with the insurance adjusters to try to arrive at an amount of money that fairly compensates you for your injuries.

Muth Law resolves many personal injury claims without filing a lawsuit and taking a case to trial. But to achieve successful results, we prepare every personal injury claim as if it will go to trial. This allows us to negotiate from a position of strength and increases the likelihood of a successful resolution to your claim.

During the negotiation phase, we will discuss any and all demands and offers with you. We will never settle your claim without your approval.

#6 - Disbursement of Funds

If we can successfully negotiate a resolution, we will receive a settlement agreement and release, and a settlement check. We will use those funds to pay your outstanding medical bills and disburse the remaining money to you. We can often maximize your financial recovery by negotiating with your medical providers to accept a reduced payment.

Contact the Michigan Personal Injury Lawyers at Muth Law

The steps to filing a personal injury claim may seem straightforward. But for people who do not have experience negotiating with insurance companies, unanticipated factors can make it difficult to obtain full and fair compensation for your injuries.

Muth Law has decades of experience representing injured people throughout Michigan. We understand the personal injury claims process and we know how to achieve results. To put our expertise to work for you, contact us today to schedule a free, confidential, no-obligation consultation to discuss your situation and how we can help.

Call us anytime at 743-481-8800, email info@muthlawpc.com, or complete our contact form.