A car accident settlement in Massachusetts consists of several steps. It is a procedure of sorting out your conflict without being involved in a judicial proceeding or a court case, which is the course of action most car accident claims are resolved. Both sides prefer to resolve before being involved in the court case. Because a reassuring consequence may not be promised in a legal proceeding.
According to NHTSA data, Massachusetts recorded roughly 334 traffic fatalities in 2019—not total crashes, which number in the tens of thousands statewide each year.
The Process of Car Accident Settlement in Massachusetts:
We gave you an overview of the process, here are the details so that you can get yourself out of trouble fast. Let’s begin from where all this starts. Right after the accident, ask for the other drivers’ credentials and their insurance information. This will help in being detailed about the accident when you report it to the other person’s insurance adjusters.
After you have reported, the insurance adjuster will call you asking for documentation. Bargaining for a fair price is the key to winning. And if for some reason your negotiations fail, you can always go back to your lawyer.
How to Calculate the Damage?
In case of a car accident settlement, to calculate the damage which has been done, you have to master the art of negotiation. You have to add the bills of medical expenses and your pain and suffering. It also includes vehicle damage estimates which are done because of the accident. If you have been injured in a car accident, then the value of your injury claim is understandably a top concern.
The first and most important step while negotiating a settlement for the claim of a personal injury or car accident is that you should calculate the amount of money you will accept to give up on your legal claim. Most of the insurance companies as well as car accident attorneys rely on one or another formula to get an amount for settlement. The reporting of the damage in car accident settlements is mostly based on evidence such as the photos of the scene, and witnesses, etc. Moreover, every case is different and so will be the settlement.There is no meaningful statewide “average” settlement figure for Massachusetts car accidents. Value turns on liability, medical specials, wage loss, available coverage, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) offsets, and whether the injury meets the G.L. c. 231, § 6D threshold for recovering pain and suffering in a tort claim. Economic damages (medical bills, lost wages, property damage) are distinct from non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, which are threshold-gated in most auto cases.
When to File a Car Accident Report in Massachusetts?
In general, all the vehicles involved in the accident should process a car accident report. But according to government laws, if there’s a car or property damage of more than $1000, a car accident report is a must. What if you’re driving someone else’s vehicle? Under G.L. c. 90, § 26, if the crash involves death, injury, or more than $1,000 in damage to any one vehicle or other property, the operator must file a written report with the Registrar within five days (and provide a copy to local police). If the operator is incapacitated and is not the owner, the owner must file that report within five days. Even in hit-and-run cases, police must register a car accident report. It is very important because the police use this report as evidence in an early investigation to determine. Who’s at fault.
Tips for Getting the Best Car Settlement:
What gets measured, gets processed. So, have a specific amount in mind while dealing with a car accident settlement in Massachusetts. Try to have the lowest figure at the back of your head too that you’ll accept. Be flexible in case the adjuster mentions a clear point that weakens your claim and similarly, tries to increase your expectations if you feel like the adjuster’s claims are weaker. Try and negotiate if the adjuster is mentioning a lot of prices. Ask them to justify their claims. Why are they mentioning this much of an amount?
Accidents happen and are part of our life, the main thing is how to cope with them. Now, in the case of a car accident settlement in Massachusetts, you must follow the above-mentioned steps. It comprises the ways and methods you can adopt to deal with the unexpected calamity. It is important because one can recover economic damages such as medical expenses, wage loss, and the cost of repairing the car, and—when the G.L. c. 231, § 6D threshold is met—non-economic damages such as pain and suffering.
About the Shea Culgin Law:
Car accident settlements in Massachusetts are pretty rough and if you don’t have a good attorney, you are in trouble. At the Shea Culgin Law, we believe in what we do and are proud of it. Call us right now and get yourself an attorney who is in the relevant field. With more than 1,000 trusted clients and a strong record of client reviews—including more than 100 five-star Google reviews—you can turn to us when a crash leaves you needing guidance. We give each customer the attention they deserve and help them the best we can.