How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim

by Attorney Joseph L. Matthews

Pages: 304

eBook: (PDF 1.1 MB)

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Summary

The book that helps you overcome the insurance companies' Goliath!

Dealing with insurance companies and lawyers when filing a personal injury claim can feel like another accident is in the offing. But you can handle a claim yourself -- and save hundreds or thousands of dollars in the process.

How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim shows you how to handle almost every accident situation, and guides you through the insurance claim process, step by step. Learn how to:

protect your rights after an accident
determine what your claim is worth
handle a property-damage claim
deal with uncooperative doctors, lawyers and insurance companies
counter the special tactics insurance companies use
prepare a claim for compensation
negotiate a full and fair settlement
stay on top of your case if you hire a lawyer

This completely updated edition of How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim provides your state's most recent laws, small-claims court limits and Department of Insurance information.

Press Reviews

"Finally a book that takes the mystery out of personal injury claims.... consumers can confidently handle claims against insurance companies and save the cost of legal fees."
Jeffrey S. Klein,
Los Angeles Times

"An essential purchase."
Library Journal

"Can help you handle your own personal injury claim without slipping on a legal banana peel. It reveals step-by-step how lawyers and insurance firms process personal injury claims, and the secret formulas used to pocket a hefty share of your settlement."
Seth Rosenfeld,
San Francisco Examiner

Introduction

Who Can Use This Book?

What Kinds of Claims Can You Handle Yourself?
How to Use This Book

1. Handling Your Personal Injury Claim

Why You Often Can Handle Your Own Claim
When You Might Need a Lawyer

2. Whose Fault Is It? How Legal Responsibility Is Determined

Basic Rules of Legal Responsibility
Liability in Specific Types of Accidents

3. Initial Steps in Settling Your Claim

The First 72 Hours: Protecting Your Rights
Getting a Claim Started
Special Rules for Accidents Involving the Government

4. Understanding Insurance Coverage

Motor Vehicle Insurance
Nonvehicle Liability Insurance
Your Own Health Coverage and Accident Claims
No-Fault Laws: State Summaries

5. How Much Is Your Claim for Injuries Worth?

The Damages Formula
How Injuries Affect Compensation
Demonstrating Pain and Suffering
Lost Income
Property Damage
Arriving at a Final Compensation Value
Examples of How Much Different Claims Are Worth

6. Processing Your Claim

Collecting Information
Preparing a Demand Letter
Sample Demand Letters

7. Property Damage Claims

What Type of Claim to File
Amount of Compensation
Processing Your Claim
Negotiating a Settlement Amount

8. Negotiating a Settlement

Adjusters: Who They Are and How They Work
How the Negotiation Process Works
What to Do When You Can't Get a Settlement
State Statutes of Limitations

9. Finalizing Your Settlement

Confirming the Offer and Acceptance
Formal Settlement Document
What to Do If the Check Doesn't Arrive
Liens on Your Settlement Money
Taxes on Your Settlement Money

10. The Last Resorts: Lawyers, Arbitration, and Courts