Three Reasons To Consult An Attorney After A Settlement Offer For Your Job Injury
If you have been collecting workers' compensation benefits, and your injury was severe enough, the insurance company may approach you with a settlement offer. There are many pitfalls in agreeing to a settlement. At this point, you need to contact an attorney to look at your health situation and the offer. The following are a few reasons to consult a lawyer.
To have someone with legal knowledge on your side
You don't have to settle. Being released from future liability, especially at the right price, is in the insurance company's interest. Your attorney can examine your medical condition and apply it to the law. From this, an accurate settlement amount can be calculated. A workers' compensation attorney has experience on the other side of the table from the insurance lawyers. They understand the strategies used to get maximum benefits for their company.
To make sure the offer is fair
An insurance company may dangle a settlement number at you, and the amount may seem too good to be true, but the chances are the offer is actually too low. This is a common issue because insurance companies are in business to make a profit. The lower the payouts for settlements are, the more profitable the company is, and the better off insurance adjusters will be. Good performance leads to better pay and better perks. A workers' compensation lawyer has no motivations other than to help their client and to work in their best interest.
To make sure you understand the settlement
You need to have an attorney read the settlement offer to make sure you understand everything in it. Looking only at the monetary portion, it is possible that you missed the part where you can no longer work at the company. If you like your job, you may have been looking forward to going back, only to find out later that you will never be employed at the company again. There may be a clause in the settlement that releases your employer from responsibility stemming from an issue that is unrelated to the disability claim. There are many possibilities that can be inserted into a settlement. Settlement contracts are written by insurance lawyers and are designed to save money for the insurance company and protect their clients, not to maximize disability benefits for you.
If you have been offered a settlement for your job injury, do not sign anything. Take the offer to a workers' compensation attorney. They can read the offer so you understand everything in the settlement and not just the dollar amount. They can also negotiate your settlement to make sure you are getting everything you are entitled to. Most workers' compensation lawyers offer a free consultation, so make an appointment and get an opinion from someone on your side.
Contact a law firm for more information about getting a workers' compensation attorney consultation.
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