If you’ve been in a car accident and experienced whiplash as a result, it may be in your best interest to hire a Washington DC car accident lawyer to help you settle your claim. Whiplash cases are more commonly settled than not because the case can sometimes be difficult to prove. Your car accident lawyer in Washington DC may be able to help you decide if you should settle or let the case go to court.
Why Are Whiplash Cases Difficult to Prove?
First of all, any Washington DC car accident lawyer may likely tell you that whiplash isn’t a medical term nor is it a legal term. Instead, soft tissue injury, whiplash associated disorders, or cervical acceleration/deceleration are used.
Whiplash doesn’t always immediately present symptoms and it’s not something that is usually seen in the initial medical consultation, so while it is often diagnosed, it is difficult to document and prove on a legal basis.
For this reason, many individuals decide to hire a car accident lawyer Washington DC drivers trust to help them settle their claim.
How to Establish Your Whiplash Claim
Your Washington DC car accident lawyer may be able to tell you exactly what you should do, moving forward, to help them establish your claim. Initially, after the accident, you want to write down the details included the time and date and the location of the accident. While on the scene, you should also get the identification and insurance information of the other driver(s) and any other involved parties as well as the badge number and name of the police officer who was on scene and prepared the police report.
After the accident, any medical records related to the treatment of your symptoms and injuries from the crash as well as the police report may be vital documents for your lawyer to have.
The Settlement Process
In general, there is a settlement process that each case may follow. Your Washington DC car accident lawyer may be able to tell you more about the process your case may follow, as well as answer any questions that may arise.
- Notification Letter: A notification letter is sent to notify the other party that you suffered injuries in the accident and intend to seek compensation.
- Reservation of Rights Letter: You may receive a letter from the insurer indicating that your claim may be reviewed and they reserve the right to disagree with your accusations.
- Demand Letter: Your attorney sends a demand letter that states your recollection of the accident, the injuries you suffered, and the details of the damages you seek compensation for.
The insurer can either agree or disagree with your terms, in part or whole, or send you a counteroffer. Statements and documents may continue to be exchanged until a settlement is mutually acceptable. If the parties can’t agree, the settlement process ends and the claim may proceed to court.
Now that you know what to expect from a settlement process for a whiplash injury, you can decide how you want to move forward. It may be in your best interest to contact a Washington DC car accident lawyer at Cohen & Cohen at 855-473-1300 for a free consultation today.
