Brampton personal injury lawyers often meet clients who wonder whether they can go ahead and settle their accident benefit claims on their own, without professional legal assistance.

While it’s certainly possible to manage a simple claims process by yourself if you have the patience, basic knowledge, health and time, it also depends on the insurance company’s response and the fact that other complex medical, legal and insurance issues could crop up. If you feel comfortable and confident that you can handle these issues, it could in fact work in your favor.

Another advantage is that if the damages are minor and you have the proper documentation and information, you could even come out of it pretty well, since you don’t have to pay legal fees.

Dealing insurance claims adjusters may not be difficult if you haven’t suffered disabilities or serious injuries and are armed with the right paperwork. The claims process is fairly well-structured and the settlement depends on the type of accident and injury and the related costs incurred.

How Legal Assistance Can Be Beneficial

The claims process is governed by strict time-frames. There are specified time-lines for notification, filing, etc. and specific venues and jurisdictions. Brampton personal injury lawyers regularly deal with these and hence they are familiar with them, including the changes, amendments and revocations.

Clients need to keep in mind that settlements are full and final. Once you settle with the insurance company, you waive your chances to re-negotiate or review the settlement. In fact, what you’re really doing is settling all past, present and future claims that have arisen from this particular accident.

Many injured victims and their families agree to a quick settlement as suggested by the insurers. They may also not know the total amount the insurer actually owes them. An experienced Brampton car accident lawyer or Brampton slip and fall injury lawyer who regularly deals with such cases has the expertise and knowledge to analyze and understand the full extent of liability.

Few clients understand that offers made by the insurers are always negotiable. They’re not final offers and counter-offers should be made, along with the requisite documentation and evidence to back your claim.

If you continue to remain unable to work, income replacement benefits must continue to be paid. Some clients believe that these are to be paid only for the first two years. Unless you’ve already settled your claim, you can claim catastrophic injury benefits after two years. This process is quite complicated and it’s wise to consult experienced personal injury lawyers for advice and assistance.

At later some point if you decide to file a personal injury suit, it can be negatively impacted if you’ve already settled for a meager amount. Insurers also work with what they call “burn rate” or an average of what you spend annually on medical/rehabilitation expenses and this is used to predict future expenses. A personal injury lawyer understands these concepts and can access this information to get you a better level of compensation.