After being involved in an car accident, your goal is to return as closely as possible to your former position physically and financially and be made whole. The insurance company has a different goal–to minimize its liability and pay out as little as possible. Below are a few tips that will help you accomplish your goals.

1. Make sure you are released from your doctor’s care before settling your claim.
Many times people get fed up going to the doctor and just stop going. You need to get released from your doctor before you can settle your case.

2. Don’t skip treatments.
Skipping treatments are a kiss of death for those who want to settle their case for its maximum value. Insurance adjusters use skipped treatments against auto accident clients. If you were in so much pain, why would you miss you therapy? Of course, there are some valid reasons to miss appointments; life happens. So, if you have to miss a treatment for a valid reason, call the physical therapist or chiropractor and reschedule. Ask them to document your reason for rescheduling in your file. Also, put it in your planner, so youíll be able to answer why you missed your appointment if asked in a deposition or at trial.

3. Perform your prescribed at-home treatment.
This is an issue you will be asked about in any deposition and in any set of interrogatories. If you did not perform your exercises how is a claims adjuster (or jury, if it comes to that) going to be sympathetic towards you when you say you were in pain for fifteen weeks but you refused to do the simple exercises that were prescribed for you to do.

4. Before you take off from work, get a doctor’s excuse.
When youíre injured in an accident it would seem that the insurance company would understand and pay for the time youíve missed from work. They will, but only if your doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor has taken you off work. Donít just miss work for an extended period of time without having your medical provider provide you with a written excuse from work.

5. Ask for reimbursement of mileage, lost wages, and lost benefits.
Many times when people donít ask for reimbursement of these items itís because they donít know they have a right to ask. You do. Keep up with your mileage to and from the doctorís office and therapy appointments and ask for reimbursement of these items. If you miss time from work, ask your human resources department or supervisor for verification of the hours or days missed, your salary, and the total wages lost. Many times people donít ask for lost wages because they used their sick leave. Sick leave is a benefit that has a value attached to it which is whatever your wage would have been for the time you missed. You are entitled to be reimbursed for the loss of that benefit. Think of it this way, if it had not been for the accident, you would still have this sick leave time available for use. This is another item that will need to be verified by your human resources department.

6. Hire an attorney if you need to.
In my mind there a times when you should hire an attorney and times when you should not. Iím sure opinions would differ amongst attorneys with this. There are some cases when you should always hire an attorney such as with tractor trailer accidents, when you have a serious pre-existing injury that re-aggravated, when there are several cars involved, when the negligent driver was intoxicated, when thereís permanent impairment or disfigurement, and when a fatality occurs. On the other hand, when the injury is soft-tissue, when the accident was low impact, when the driver has a reputable insurance carrier that youíre in communication with, these are cases that may not require an attorney (just a little more knowledge on the process). Then thereís the borderline case that youíll have to make a judgment call on. If you have an insurance adjuster thatís not responsive, when thereís serious injury (broken bones for example), or when youíre not sure youíre being treated fairly, itís time to start interviewing a few attorneys. Do a cost benefits analysis. Is it worth hiring an attorney or will I come out better financially if I handle the case myself?

These six tips should help you get the maximum payout from your claim against the insurance company in an ethical and honest way. Keep in mind what you are entitled to receive and be sure to ask for it. If you are not being offered what you should be, do not hesitate to hire an attorney.