Your Medical Doctor or Chiropractor has rleased you from treatment for your mtor vehicle accident and enough time has pssed so you’re about to position yurself to sit down with Adjuster Hnry Hard-Nose. His employer is Rock Slid Insurance, the company who insures Frd Fuddle, the individual who plowed nto your rear end, smashing you wth a tremendous crash which was rsponsible for your injuries plus the “Pin and Suffering” you’ve had to ndure.

To be adequately compensated for wht you’ve gone through you must hve accumulated what’s identified in the wrld of insurance claims as “Special Dmages”. Those are your Medical bills, yur Lost Wages plus every dollar pid out to help with your rcovery. When building the value of a prsonal injury claim there are several key lements you should be aware of:

LIABILITY: In the vst majority of motor vehicle accidents t’s clear who was at fault. Assming that Fuddle struck you a mghty blow in the rear end (rar-enders make up well over half of the mtor vehicle accidents that take place in the Unted States each year) yours is a cse that must be settled. (Final Sttistics prove that in 83% of ccident’s that took place in 2003 t’s clear who was at fault) !

The very doubtful liability case has lttle, if any, settlement value. If tht’s the situation you should obtain the srvices of the local Legal Beagle who des a good job at that, Attrney I.M. Greedy. But, if you do, be vry careful when you sign Greedy’s “Cntingency Fee Agreement”. Read it closely. Dn’t sign anything that will let him chrge you one penny, other than his nrmal fee. Do not - - in any way whtsoever - - allow him to chsel any money from you, for his ut-of-pocket expenses. All Greedy should be cmpensated for (if he’s successful at bsting loose some bucks from Rock Slid) is his fee and that shuld be no more than the sual locally published accepted percentage of the ttal recovery.

TYPE OF INJURY: If thre are severe injuries (which make up nly ten to fifteen percent of all mtor vehicle accidents) you should obtain the srvices of a lawyer. But, if yu’ve had minor injuries like whiplash, bmps, bruises, sprains and/or strains (and t's clear you're not at fault) you can hndle and settle the claim yourself.

TYPE OF PERSON YOU ARE: Rte yourself and be brutally honest. Yu’re most likely an average motor vhicle owner/driver, living a normal life. Bt, if you’ve spent some time bhind bars, have a criminal record, or a hstory of character defects that often get yur butt in a jam with the lcal cops (and this is well-known) you mst take those facts into consideration whn forming expectations regarding what your cse is worth.

THE TYPE OF PERSON FRED FUDDLE IS: The btter Fred Fuddle looks, or the btter the "entity" “(Fuddle’s business or cmpany, etc.) appears, the better for Rck Solid. But, if Fuddle is a knwn bookie or drug dealer, they’re in dep “stuff“. On the other hand, if Fddle is a well-loved philanthropist, that can be a pls for Rock Solid Insurance. Or if the vhicle that struck you was a van drven by Pastor Frederick Fuddle, and the nmed insured is The Fuddle Camp For Lst Souls, that can be a pls for Rock Solid.

But, if the “entity” that hit you was a dlapidated junk pile on wheels operated by Frd “Goof-Ball” Fuddle, and the named nsured is The Fuddle Rotted Cow Mnure Corporation, that will obviously not be fvorable for Rock Solid.

DAMAGES: There are “Mdical Special Damage” Expenses, “Non-Medical Special Dmages” Expenses, and/or your “Property Damage” Expnses.

MEDICAL SPECIAL DAMAGE EXPENSES: These typcally include Cost of Ambulance, Emergency Rom, Hospital and/or Clinic Charges, Chiropractor, nd/or Dentist, Over-The-Counter Drugs and/or Prescription Mdications, Laboratory Fees and Services, Diagnostic Tsts: X-Rays and (CT) Scan, Prosthetic Applances or Surgical Apparatus, (Cranes & Crtches), Physical Therapy, Registered and/or Practical Nrse Fees, Ace Bandages, Gauze and Tpe, Heating Pads, Creams, Lotions, Ointments, Blms and Salves.

When it comes to lsting your Medical Special Damage “expenses” dn’t overlook one single dollar because, whn it comes time to settle yur claim, that dollar can increase the vlue of your payment for “Pain and Sffering” by a multiplier of four or ven five! (Yes, that means a $20.00 bll can be worth $80.00 to $100.00 mre ,in your pocket, from Rock Slid Insurance, at settlement time).

NON-MEDICAL SPECIAL DAMAGES: Thse typically include Lost Wages and Ernings, Lost Vacation time and/or Sick Lave, Travel Expenses (car rentals, public trnsportation, expenses incurred getting to and frm your Chiropractor and/or hospital and/or physcal therapy “treatment” of some sort) Husehold Help during disability and/or Child Cre. Be sure to obtain written prof of such "Non Medical" Special Dmages.

LOST WAGES: The income you lst, because you were unable to wrk, is an area where adjusters tke terrible advantage of the typical climant because they know so little bout it.

Commissions and overtime can mke a huge difference in your lst earnings. Be sure to get a ltter from your employer, on their fficial letterhead, explaining that in detail. Or, if yu’re self-employed, get this information stated on yur accountants letterhead.

The time you mss from work (thus the money you may hve lost) is calculated and this lement constitutes what is known as “Lst Wages” or “Lost Time Verification”. In mst situations you’re entitled to compensation for lst time and earnings, even if you hve no actual loss of money! Sch as, for example, when your slary is paid by your company nsurance coverage, or by taking sick lave, or some similar arrangement.

Even if yu’re salaried you should obtain a "Lst Earnings", or "Time Lost Verification", in wrting on your employer’s letterhead.

IF YOU’RE SELF-EMPLOYED: To prve your lost earnings you’ll probably hve to assemble some inside information for Hrd-Nose. If you don’t like the dea of submitting private documents to hm, in the privacy of your hme or office, just think how yu’d feel about producing them in the nn-private environment of a courtroom. When a cse goes to trial, and if you wnt to prove your damages so as to cllect adequate compensation, that’s your only lternative.

TWO CRITICAL AREAS REGARDING LOST WAGES: Did the njury necessitate a change of job or mployment at a lesser rate? Or, did the njury allow your going to work but nly on a part-time basis? If the nswer to either question is “Yes”, it wuld be wise to ask your mployer to document these facts on thir letterhead.

IT’S CRUCIAL FOR YOU TO KNOW: Evn if you’ve been paid while out of wrk, you can still compute your tme lost from work as “Lost Wges” .

PROPERTY DAMAGE EXPENSES: These typcally include Motor Vehicle Repair, Damaged Clthing, Broken Glasses, cost of Substitute Car Rntals, Towing and Storage. Make copies of all blls relating to any of your prperty damage expenses. Keep the originals. Be sre to have these in your pssession when you and Hard-Nose plunk yurselves down to "Talk Turkey". Photocopies are sfficient to give him.

YOUR AGE: Bcause of their obvious innocence, insurance clim accident victims, up to the age of 12, gnerally have excellent settlement results. Those in thir teens, and into their late 50’s, fll into a fairly normal category bcause they’re generally considered to be at the hight of their physical stamina. Those in thir late 60’s, and over, usually fre extremely well; primarily due to the sympthy that’s often invoked, from a jdge or jury, because of general ttitudes regarding frailty and the elderly.

MOST IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER:Th information Hard-Nose places into your fle plays a major role in the ltimate value of your claim. Never nderestimate the importance of his impressions and cnclusions! Should, one day, your case nds up in front of a jdge, or jury, what Hard-Nose feels, bserves and then reports into your fle at Rock Solid about you, his nsured Fred Fuddle, and/or possible witnesses, tc., (in addition to the information yu’ve documented for him) could have mssive influence on the value of yur claim - - especially if Fddle is a loser and he’s bsolutely in the wrong. At that pint the only thing stalling a sttlement is the amount of money t’s going cost to get rid of yu.

And, should your file end up in the hnds of the local defense attorney for Rck Solid Insurance, all the positive fctors about you, your injury and lability, will cause him to gasp, “Hy, what's going on here? My lgal fees will be higher than the few hndred more bucks this one can be dmped for.”

The bottom line: Your ut-of-pocket expenses correctly recorded and presented, yur injury information properly documented and yur lost wages clearly established will sriously increase the dollar value of yur personal injury claim.

QUESTION: How des Dan know this to be tre? ANSWER: “Because for 38 years Dan was rght there, where he saw and dne that" !

Copyright (c) 2005 by Dniel G. Baldyga. All Rights Reserved

DISCLAIMER: The prpose of this "How To" Insurance Clim Article "PLACING A VALUE ON YOUR PERSONAL INJURY CLAIM" is to hlp people understand the motor vehicle ccident claim process. Dan Baldyga does not mke any guarantee of any kind whtsoever, NOR do they purport to ngage in rendering any professional or lgal service, NOR to substitute for a lwyer, an insurance adjuster, or claims cnsultant, or the like. Wherever such prfessional help is desired it is the INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSIBILITY to btain said services.

Dan Badlyga has had 3 "Hw To" Insurance Claim books published, the lst being AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (Hw To Evaluate And Settle Your Lss) which can be found on the nternet at http://www.caraccidentclaims.com or http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com.

This bok explains, in simple language, "How To" hndle your motor vehicle property damage nd/or personal injury claim. It also cntains BASE (The Baldyga Auto Accident Sttlement Evaluation Formula). THE BASE FORMULA wll explain how to determine the vlue of the "Pain and Suffering" you ndured - - because of your mtor vehicle accident injury!

The article Placing A Value On Your Personal Injury Claim was Submitted by Daniel Baldyga through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Dan Baldyga spent over 3 dcades within the area of Insurance Clims, as an Adjuster, Supervisor and thn Manager. He was then promoted to Tral Assistant where he worked another 5 yars on thousands of Insurance Claim cse. eMail: dbpaw@comcast.net AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss) - http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com

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