If you’re going through the process of filing a claim after a personal injury, one important factor in maximizing the settlement of your case is knowing how to build what is commonly called a demand packet or settlement demand materials.

What should be included in that demand packet to make sure you’ll receive the compensation you deserve?

When you hire our Virginia Beach personal injury attorneys, we will take care of this for you. With over 100 years of combined legal experience, our firm understands what it takes to create a convincing demand package that will put you in a powerful position when negotiating a settlement with the insurance company.

What Is a Demand Package in a Virginia Personal Injury Case?

When you get hurt in an accident, you make a claim to an insurance company.

In that claim, you need to show the insurer exactly what you have been through. Knowing what information to gather and present is a hard-earned skill that a knowledgeable Virginia Beach personal injury attorney develops over many years of representing injured victims.

You and your personal injury attorney will put all this information together in a demand package. This is a critical document that lays out your case to the insurance company. Think of it as your formal request for compensation. It should make a clear, convincing argument for why you deserve to be paid for your injuries, damages, and losses.

How well your case goes often depends on the strength of this package. That’s why it’s smart to have our skilled personal injury lawyers on your team.

What is in a Demand Package?

A demand package typically contains the following components.

Cover Letter

This letter goes to the insurance company and sums up your claim, in terms of the medical expenses, any lost wages, and any other damages claimed, including non-economic damages such as pain, suffering, and inconvenience.

Incident Reports

Put all official paperwork about the accident in the demand package. This could include police reports or accident write-ups that help show what happened and prove the other person was to blame.

Photos and Evidence

Include photos taken at the site of the accident, video footage, images and recordings of your damaged belongings, and visuals of your injuries. These can help paint a clearer picture of what happened and how much you’ve suffered.

Medical Records

These may include hospital records, notes from doctors, invoices, and any other paperwork that shows how serious your injuries are, the treatment you’ve received, and what care you’ll need in the future.

Proof of Lost Wages

If your injury kept you from working, the demand package will show proof of your lost wages. Things like pay stubs, notes from your employer, and other records will show how much money you lost.

Personal Impact Statement

A personal impact statement is a document that shows your side of the story. This portion of the demand discusses your physical pain, how the incident upset you, and any big changes to your daily life or habits. An experienced personal injury attorney develops this information via conferences with you or by obtaining the permanent information from you.

Settlement Demand Calculations

This part of the demand package presents a careful calculation of your damages. It includes your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damages and loss, and any other expenses, such as travel expenses for medical appointments or changes you had to make to adjust to your injury.

Although the process varies, in many cases, we will ask the insurance company to make an opening offer, and we will not present our settlement demand figure until the insurance company makes the first move. In other cases, the insurer requires that the personal injury attorney make a settlement demand first.

How a Virginia Beach Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help with Your Demand Package

You can put together a demand package yourself, but having our personal injury attorneys do it for you can be a game-changer when it comes to the results.

Experts in Valuation

We help you understand all the elements of damages that can be presented and consider all of your damages, helping to determine your maximum settlement amount. We’ll include not only all of your medical expenses and costs for property damage but also future medical expenses, therapy costs, and any other charges or fees you might not have thought about on your own. Our settlement demand will have room for negotiation, then we’ll use our skills to work with the insurance company so you get the money you deserve.

Experienced in Gathering Evidence

We know what evidence you need to prove your case and how to get it. We can also help collect medical records, accident reports, and other key paperwork, ensuring nothing is overlooked.

Professionals at Drafting the Demand Package

There is an art to creating a demand package that will persuade an insurance company to do the right thing when it comes to your claim. We understand how to position your case in the best possible light and tell your story in a way that makes a persuasive argument.

Beyond the Demand

After you send your demand package, the insurance company will respond. Typically, they’ll come back with a settlement offer unless they deny your claim. Either way, it’s a good idea to have a personal injury attorney on your side, as he or she can negotiate with the insurance company to get you the highest amount of compensation possible.

Should negotiations break down, knowing that we have the experience to handle personal injury trials is critical. Insurance companies know which local personal injury attorneys have a reputation for winning jury trials or bench trials. Believe this—they know whether your attorney always settles or has a reputation for fighting on victims’ behalf.

Contact our Virginia Beach personal injury lawyers today. We won’t charge you anything upfront and get paid only if we obtain compensation for you, as we did for this federal worker who suffered neck and other injuries in a Virginia car crash. We helped him secure a $930,000 personal injury settlement.

We have offices in Virginia Beach, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake.

 

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