Personal Injury Victim’s Guide to Accident Claims and Compensation

Injured victims often feel helpless against big insurance companies, or think only lawyers have the answers. This site aims to change that. We use plain language to explain everything you need to know about the personal injury claim and settlement process.

We’re not a law firm, but the information here is written by experienced attorneys. You’ll learn your rights as an accident victim, how to value injuries, determine liability, negotiate with insurance companies, and much more.

We’ll answer your questions about all types of injuries, and tell you how to build a strong claim, on your own or with an attorney. By learning how the claim process works, you’ll have a much better chance of getting what you deserve – fair compensation for your injuries.

Empowering Injury Victims Every Day

The most common personal injuries result from vehicle accidents and slip and falls, followed by work injuries, dog attacks, medical errors, and more. We can help you navigate the personal injury claim process whenever someone else caused your injuries, no matter how you were hurt.

Most minor injury claims can be settled directly with the insurance company – we show you how. You’ll also learn to recognize when you’ll need an attorney to get the injury compensation you deserve.

How to Calculate Personal Injury Compensation

You’ve been injured, off work, and the bills are piling up. You want to settle your claim quickly, but you can’t trust the insurance adjuster to cover all your damages. Here’s where we show you how to think like an adjuster to boost your compensation, including how to get reimbursed for your emotional distress.

Learn how to calculate your injury claim value, factors that impact your compensation, and what to do about medical liens against your settlement money.

What You Do After an Accident Makes a Difference

What you do and say after an injury accident can determine the success of your claim and the amount of compensation the insurance company is willing to pay.

No matter what caused your injuries, preserving and protecting vital evidence is crucial to the success of your injury claim. Learn how to gather photographs, witness statements, medical records, and more to support your claim.

Just as important is knowing how to avoid personal injury claim pitfalls. You’ll know to beware the statute of limitations, what not to say in a recorded interview, costly negotiating mistakes to avoid, and when the insurance company is using bad faith tactics.

Figuring Out Who Pays for Your Injuries

When you’re hit broadside by a driver who ran the red light, you have a pretty good idea who’s at fault for the traffic accident. Proving liability, meaning responsibility, for your injuries isn’t always easy. Whether you file an insurance claim or a lawsuit, the burden is on you to prove liability.

We give you a clear definition of negligence and other rules of liability, and break out how to establish liability in many different injury scenarios, from drunk driving crashes to bicycle accidents.

You’ll learn how to establish liability against property owners for slip and fall accidents and dog attacks. Even when you have an attorney, it helps to understand how to determine liability in high-stakes litigation like medical malpractice cases, product liability claims, and class action lawsuits.

How to Get Your Money from the At-Fault Party

Most minor injury claims can be successfully handled without an attorney. Here’s where we unpack tips and tricks to help you work directly with the insurance company to settle your injury claim.

Getting ready to handle your own claim starts with organizing your paperwork. Creating a complete accident file puts everything at your fingertips when you’re actively negotiating your claim. Before you get on the phone with an adjuster, get comfortable with basic settlement negotiation steps, and prepare to negotiate with patience and persistence.

Expect to deal with the varied negation styles of adjusters, and don’t get rattled if they pitch you a low-ball settlement offer.

Even when you’re well prepared, sometimes insurance claims are denied. You still have options to pursue compensation, even when negotiations fail.

Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit

Most personal injury claims settle out of court, but when negotiations fail, your next step is litigation. Depending on the damages you’re seeking, your best option may be to file your case in small claims court.

If your losses are substantial, you’ll need to file your lawsuit in civil court. We walk you through the ins and outs of civil litigation, so you know what it takes to file a complaint and proceed to trial. Many courts require the parties to try using arbitration to settle personal injury disputes before the case goes to trial.

When You’ll Need an Experienced Injury Lawyer

At any time short of settlement, you have the right to consult an attorney about your personal injury claim. Get the information you need to decide how to handle your injury claim. Review the advantages of handling your case alone, and when you can boost your compensation by hiring an attorney.

It’s important to know how to work with your attorney.  Get tips on choosing the best attorney, negotiation attorney fees, and maintaining good communication. Learn how attorneys work with clients in special litigation circumstances, like appellate cases and class action lawsuits.

Auto Accident Claims: Insurance and Compensation

Discover a wealth of information on every type of vehicle accident from fender-benders to tractor-trailer crashes.

Get the facts on the leading causes of road accidents, like drunk driving or texting, and how to prepare a solid insurance claim against the at-fault driver. Learn how to build a winning claim for whiplash and other soft-tissue injuries, and what to expect from the insurance adjuster if you’ve suffered severe or permanent injuries.

Whether you file an injury claim on your own or hire a skilled attorney, start strong by learning how to deal with the insurance company.

Premises Liability and Slip and Fall Claims

People are injured daily because of a property owner’s negligence. Here’s what you need to know about premises liability and compensation.

Slip and fall accidents and other injuries happen at all kinds of businesses. Grocery stores, clothing stores, and personal service businesses like beauty shops and gyms all have a duty to prevent harm to customers. You don’t lose your right to file an injury claim just because you’re hurt on government property, but you do need to know the rules to win.

Serious accidents are just as likely to happen at a private home or apartment complex. Learn how to file a residential premises liability claim when you’ve been injured at someone else’s home or in common housing areas.

Workers Comp Claims for On-the-Job Injuries

Learn everything you need to know about getting workers’ comp benefits, including essential tips to maximize your compensation, and how to deal with your employer’s insurance company.

Protect your rights after a workplace injury. Get the facts on pre-existing injuries, permanent partial disability settlements, how insurance companies use Independent Medical Exams, and more.

We also walk you through when and how you can take legal action for maximum compensation against your employer or other parties who share liability for your injuries.

All About Product Liability Claims and Lawsuits

Americans are injured every day by defective products and foods. Here’s what you need to know to seek compensation for injuries caused by dangerous products.

We’ve got your back when it comes to product liability claims. Get the latest information on defective and dangerous food and personal care products, potentially deadly medications and environmental toxins, and more.

Kids get hurt by defective products, too. Get the facts on deadly furniture injuries, broken playground equipment, and check how to choose safe toys for children.

What You Can Do About Medical Malpractice

Medical errors are a leading cause of death in the United States. You have the right to demand compensation for injuries caused by medical malpractice, and we show you how.

Learn about the consequences of administrative medical failures like health insurance denials, hospital refusal to treat, and HIPAA violations of your medical privacy.

Hospital malpractice arises from deficient hospital or emergency department care. We also cover the family’s rights after a loved one’s wrongful death in a hospital.

Wrong diagnosis? Medication errors? Patients who trusted their doctors are injured every day by direct care malpractice. Learn how to recognize medical malpractice, whether it’s a delayed diagnosis, physician error, botched surgery, or devastating childbirth injuries.

Similar to medical malpractice, patients injured by defective medical products like dangerous drugs and defective medical implants often have high-dollar liability claims.

How to Deal with Dog Attack Injuries

Every day, hundreds of people are treated for dog bites and other dog attack injuries. When young children suffer dog attacks, the physical and emotional scars may be with them for life.

Roughly a third of all homeowner’s insurance payouts are for dog bites. Here’s where you can learn to use local dog bite laws to increase your compensation, and how dangerous dog breed laws can affect your claim.

Much More About Other Claim Types

At Injury Claim Coach, we want to empower you to handle any personal injury claim. We understand that less common injury situations can be just as devastating to you and your family. You can count on us to provide clear and accurate information to help you recover your losses from:

Intentional acts, such as assault, abuse, and other crimes. Get straight talk about child neglect, domestic violence, elder abuse, and more. We also explain crime victim rights and compensation options.

An injured child is every parent’s nightmare. Learn what to do about school and daycare injuries, where we cover everything from daycare provider liability to school fights.

It’s not just the kids who end up with sport and recreation injuries. What starts to be a fun time can end up as a costly injury when someone else is negligent. Learn more about everything from playground and sports injuries to bar fights and gun liability.

Learn more about your right to compensation for certain employment-related losses, including employment discrimination, wrongful termination, and asbestos exposure.

When the worst happens, it’s hard to know what to do. Here you can find straight talk about wrongful death cases, starting with our guide to wrongful death liability and compensation. We also provide in-depth information on wrongful death cases arising from car accidents, hospital errors, and nursing home neglect.

Helpful Injury Claim Resources

We have numerous examples of notification letters and settlement demand letters. Use the samples we provide to create your own letters and look like a pro.

Laws for personal injury and liability can vary substantially across state lines. Get specific information on your jurisdiction with our summary of state injury laws, and in-depth car accident guides by state.

It’s also a good idea to keep a copy of our downloadable car accident report form in your car’s glove box, so you can remember what to do and what to write down at the scene of an auto accident.

Still Have Questions?

We make it easy to get answers to your injury questions. You can search our database of existing visitor questions and answers, or fill out the online form to ask your question.