After someone suffers injuries after a personal injury accident in New York City, often times they are anxious to settle their case as quickly as possible. People are often unable to immediately return to work and bills start piling up fast, adding to the desire to “settle quickly.” Further, most people are not used to the drawn out nature of personal injury lawsuits and the work they require from the victim. The victim will have to appear for a deposition, which is testimony given under oath and will also likely have to appear for multiple Independent Medical Examinations, often referred to as IMEs. This is where the party responsible for your injury sets up an appointment for you to see a doctor of their choosing. This doctor works for them, and often times will try to minimize the severity of your injury.

However, rushing to settle your personal injury case can often times prove detrimental. First of all, insurance companies are famous for preying on the desperation of financially-strapped plaintiffs who were injured in an accident. If you are desperate enough to take their early low-ball offer, they save paying the real value of the case and also save the money they would otherwise have to spend defending the case. They also immediately cut off any additional risk.

When an individual is first injured, they may complain of neck and back pain and undergo an initial course of relatively conservative treatment, such as physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic treatment and perhaps some form of injections to ease the pain. However, if this course of treatment does not solve the problem, surgery may be necessary. If you settle with the insurance company before the surgery, you cannot “re-open” the case and try to be compensated for the value of the surgery you needed.

If you have been injured in any type of accident, contact NYC personal injury lawyer Michael J. Redenburg, Esq. PC for a free consultation at 212-240-9465.