First, we’ll mention that there are a few things that you can’t control when it comes to maximizing the settlement you obtain for your injuries. Next, we’ll discuss what you can do to obtain the maximum settlement possible for your Hawaii auto accident injuries.

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One of the major factors which affects how much you’ll receive for your injuries is which insurance company is involved.  After helping people who have been injured in accidents for many years, we are still surprised by the wide range of settlement offers made by the various insurance companies in Hawaii.

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Some companies offer quite low settlements.  The companies known for being quite stingy are Geico, State Farm, and Farmers.  Other companies tend to be much more reasonable.  These companies are USAA, Dtric, First Insurance, and Island Insurance.

​

Another factor that you can’t control when it comes to the settlement amount is the adjustor.  Even within the same insurance companies, there are reasonable adjustors and unreasonable adjustors.

​

Now for the factors that you can control.  The first thing you can control is what you do within the first couple of days after the accident.

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Hire A Lawyer As Soon As Possible.

​

If you hire a lawyer right away, this will help you get a better settlement offer.  If you wait for a few days or even a few weeks to get a lawyer, your chances of getting a good settlement offer go way down.

​

You will likely have already done recorded statements with your medical adjustor and the adjuster for the other driver’s insurance.  In which case, because you didn’t have a lawyer giving you advice, you likely said some things in the statement which hurt your case.

​

Obtain As Much Medical Treatment As Possible.

​

One of the biggest factors affecting how much of a settlement you receive is your medical treatment.  This is something that is completely within your control.  No-Fault Insurance covers doctor exams, physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractor treatments, etc.

​

If you get much treatment, this will usually result in a better settlement.  If you don’t receive very much follow-up treatment and there are large gaps of time between your treatments, then that will hurt your settlement.

​

Receive Treatment From Medical Providers Who Specialize In Auto Accident Injuries.

​

You should remember that the evidence in an injury case is your medical records.  If you go to a clinic specializing in auto accident injuries, such as Portner Orthopedic or Workstar Injury Recovery Center, then the medical records will be very well done and will be very useful in helping you get a good settlement.

​

This will hurt your case if you go to a doctor who doesn’t keep good records.  Portner Orthopedic and Workstar accept No-Fault Insurance, and they do a great job treating our clients for their car accident injuries, so we highly recommend that our clients go there for their treatment.

​

Keep Good Records.

​

Another great way to help maximize your insurance settlement is to keep good records.  First of all, you should take good pictures of your injuries.  You must take pictures throughout the healing process, especially when the injuries are new.  You should take a lot of good, clear pictures.  Then you should email them to your lawyer right away.

​

We often have clients who either forgot to take pictures or forgot to email them to us before the pictures were lost.  You should also take good pictures of the vehicle damage and send them to your lawyer.

​

It’s also important to keep track of any documents you receive in the mail, including medical bills.  If you have wage loss due to your injuries, your lawyer will need a couple of months of paystubs before the accident, the paystubs during your recovery, and the paystubs after you return to work full-time.

​

You should scan and email these to your lawyer as soon as possible.  We have many clients who want to claim wage loss but cannot find their paystubs.  Do yourself a favor and send them to your lawyer as soon as possible so that he can put them in your case file and have them ready when it’s time to make your wage loss claim.

​

One major factor affecting how much you’ll receive for your injuries is which insurance company is involved.  After helping people injured in accidents for many years, we are still surprised by the wide range of settlement offers made by the various insurance companies in Hawaii.

​

Some companies offer quite low settlements.  The companies known for being quite stingy are Geico, State Farm, and Farmers.  Other companies tend to be much more reasonable.  These companies are USAA, Dtric, First Insurance, and Island Insurance.

​

Another factor that you can’t control when it comes to the settlement amount is the adjustor.  Even within the same insurance companies, there are reasonable and unreasonable adjustors.

​

Now for the factors that you can control.  The first thing you can control is what you do within the first couple of days after the accident.

​

Hire A Lawyer As Soon As Possible.

​

If you hire a lawyer right away, this will help you get a better settlement offer.  If you wait for a few days or even a few weeks to get a lawyer, your chances of getting a good settlement offer go way down.

​

You will likely have already done recorded statements with your medical adjustor and the adjuster for the other driver’s insurance.  In which case, because you didn’t have a lawyer giving you advice, you likely said some things in the statement which hurt your case.

​

Obtain As Much Medical Treatment As Possible.

​

One of the biggest factors affecting how much of a settlement you receive is your medical treatment.  This is something that is completely within your control.  No-Fault Insurance covers doctor exams, physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractor treatments, etc.

​

If you get much treatment, this will usually result in a better settlement.  If you don’t receive very much follow-up treatment and there are large gaps of time between your treatments, that will harm your settlement.

​

Receive Treatment From Medical Providers Who Specialize In Auto Accident Injuries.

​

You should remember that the evidence in an injury case is your medical records.  Go to a clinic specializing in auto accident injuries, such as Portner Orthopedic or Workstar Injury Recovery Center. The medical records will be very well done and useful in helping you get a good settlement.

​

This will hurt your case if you go to a doctor who doesn’t keep good records.  Portner Orthopedic and Workstar accept No-Fault Insurance, and they do a great job treating our clients for their car accident injuries, so we highly recommend that our clients go there for their treatment.

​

Keep Good Records.

​

Another great way to help maximize your insurance settlement is to keep good records.  First of all, you should take good pictures of your injuries.  You must take pictures throughout the healing process, especially when the injuries are new.  You should take a lot of good, clear pictures.  Then you should email them to your lawyer right away.

​

We often have clients who either forgot to take pictures or forgot to email them to us before the pictures were lost.  You should also take good pictures of the vehicle damage and send them to your lawyer.

​

It’s also important to keep track of any documents you receive in the mail, including medical bills.

​

 If you have wage loss due to your injuries, your lawyer will need a couple of months of paystubs before the accident, the paystubs during your recovery, and the paystubs after you return to work full-time.

​

You should scan and email these to your lawyer as soon as possible.  We have many clients who want to claim wage loss but cannot find their paystubs.  Do yourself a favor and send them to your lawyer as soon as possible so that he can put them in your case file and have them ready when it’s time to make your wage loss claim.