Wondering about what you can do to help maximize your claim? One way is to get declarations.
Insurance companies need to understand all of the ways that your injuries have impacted your daily life. This includes how you have been affected at home, work, your social life, and any hobbies or recreational activities that you would normally participate in.
Has pain kept you from being able to participate in your Monday night dance or kickboxing class?
Or from being able to work a full shift without accommodation?
Or from being able to play with your kids?
Or walk your dog?
Has anyone witnessed any of this?
Hearing your version of the story of how dealing with pain has impacted your daily life is crucial, and you’ll definitely have the opportunity to share your experiences with us, your personal injury lawyers.
However, hearing about your experiences from other people that have witnessed your hardships, will definitely strengthen your case.
Declarations
In order to maximize the value of your car accident or slip and fall claim, it helps to get declarations.
These would be statements from people in your life that would be willing to share their knowledge and perceptions of how the accident has impacted your ability to function and participate in activities of daily living.
Statements from people that have nothing to gain from how the claim resolves, will bolster your testimony; it will add credibility, along with a completely unique perspective to your story.
Sometimes it is difficult for you to address, or perhaps even recognize, all the ways in which you have been affected by being injured.
Reaching out to those that are involved in your life – whether it’s through work, the gym, church, gardening club, school, your neighborhood, etc. – and hearing what they have witnessed, helps us as your personal injury lawyers to tell your story to the insurance adjuster.
It also captures a much more in depth, thorough picture of who you are and the information a jury would have in assessing the value of your damages.
The insurance company is then in a position to evaluate their level of risk in the event that your case proceeds to trial. This will likely lead to them placing a higher value on your claim for purposes of reaching a settlement.
Share Your Experience With Friends and Family
In order to have useful and insightful statements, it is important to share what’s happening in your life with those that are close to you.
Sometimes, we’ll discuss the prospect of obtaining statements from people, only to hear that the client has worked very hard to ensure no one knows about the car accident or slip and fall, and related injuries.
Remember, the accident was not your fault. In addition to helping your claim, it may help you recover and cope with the emotional aspects of your trauma to share what’s going on with family and friends. It’s also okay to ask for help when it’s needed.
The best statements come from friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or community group members.
If you are involved in church or a community group, for example, a story from a co-member that shares your inability to participate or volunteer as you did prior to the injuries can be very helpful.
Perhaps you have had to consistently ask for accommodations or assistance at work to complete your job duties, something that never happened pre-injury. A statement from a co-worker who has personal knowledge of your work struggles will help capture what it’s been like for you in the working context.
