Should I try to settle my case before hiring an auto accident attorney?

 

A: If you have a small personal injury case with hardly any physical injury, of course you should try to settle it yourself. An Orange County personal injury attorney is not interested in that type of case. Of course if you need help, feel free to call us at 1 866-981-5596.

If you have been more seriously injured you should not try to settle your case yourself. You can do serious harm to the valuation of your case that may show you the three ways
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First, you are not experienced in the evaluation of personal injuries and personal injury cases. An insurance company has to set a reserve. If you don't know what a reserve is read this article. If you allow the reserve to be set too low it is unlikely you will ever receive fair compensation for your case without trial. Therefore it is imperative that you not try to open settlement negotiations which will cause the reserves to be set low.

How do the reserves get set too low?  If you do not have to properly prepared medical reports documenting your injuries, the adjuster will such a reserves too low. If you have not estimated your future medical expenses properly and reasonably you stand a chance of being pigeonholed into smaller case value. Your failure to document your diagnosis and specific injury through a professionally prepared medical report of, at the cost of about $500,lazy adjuster to assume your reserve. Naturally adjusters don't overestimate the value of cases.

Second, if you have never worked in the insurance industry, you do not understand the insurance reimbursement obligations and liens. If you settle your case without considering these liens, the entire net settlement to you may be required to be paid to your health insurance carrier or to reimburse your medical payments carrier.

 Lastly,If you make an unreasonably high demand you tell the adjuster that you are greedy, out for money, and unrealistic. Your file gets marked with this information and settlement offers are therefore less likely to be fair and reasonable. If on the other hand you underestimate the value of your case, and the insurance company senses you would take less than full value, later it is virtually impossible, without trial, for the attorney to obtain a better settlement for you.

Allen, Flatt, Ballidis & Leslie takes cases in Orange County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Kern County, Ventura County and in the cities of Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda, Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Arcadia, Artesia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Big Pines, Burbank, Carson, Century City, Cerritos, Chatsworth, China Town, City of Industry, Claremont, Commerce, Compton, Covina, Culver City, Downtown LA, Downey, Eagle Rock, El Monte, El Segundo, Encino, Gardena, Glendale, Glendora, Granada Hills, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Highland Park, Hollywood, Inglewood, Irwindale, Japan Town, Korea Town, La Canada/Flintridge, La Crescenta, La Habra, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lancaster, Lenox, Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Nietos, Lynwood, Manhattan Beach, Marina Del Rey, Monterey Park, Montrose, Northridge, Norwalk, Palmdale, Palos Verdes Estates, Paramount, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Reseda, Rolling Hills Estates, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel, San Marino, Santa Clarita, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Monica, Signal Hill, South Pasadena, Temple City, Torrance, Valinda, Van Nuys, Ventura County, Verdugo City, Walnut, West Covina, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Westwood and Whittier.