Personal injury cases were not as common in the past since few people knew what they were entitled to when injured. With the huge campaigns mounted on various platforms, however, this trend is slowly shifting, and more people are filing personal injury lawsuits. At the end of their cases, however, most are shocked by the monetary amount they are left with even after seemingly huge payouts from a defendant. The primary element that significantly reduces personal injury settlements is a lien.
Glen Burnie experts note that even after a personal injury lawyer has fought so hard to prove your case and maximize your compensation, lien holders will be the first to be paid. The common types of liens on personal injury settlements are medical, creditor, and government institution liens. With a few strategies in your case, however, you can reduce the number of your liens. Here are the most effective tactics to do this.
Pay for Medical Care Out-of-Pocket
Healthcare providers will not hesitate to offer medical care after an accident more so if you have a personal injury case. This is because they know they can recoup what they spend on you once your payout comes through. In this arrangement, you will sign a commitment form detailing the same. Most plaintiffs, unfortunately, get too comfortable once they have signed the commitment and opt for even unnecessary treatments. The best way of avoiding this risk is to meet as much of your medical costs as you can out-of-pocket. This way, you keep track of the expenses and can negotiate better rates with your service provider. You will still recoup this money in court provided you have receipts.
Review the Receipts Carefully
Unscrupulous medical care providers have been known to inflate the costs of different items or bill one item severally when dealing with personal injury victims. Pay attention to the receipts and ensure the amounts indicated match the treatments you have been offered and nothing is billed twice. Picking these anomalies will significantly lower the amount you owe in medical liens.
Keep Child Support and Alimony Payments Updated
The government will also deduct a portion of your settlement for unpaid alimony and child support if they apply in your case. You can thus not expect to use your injuries as a defense for not meeting these financial obligations. The best choice is to keep your payments up-to-date so that they are not deducted along with interest from your settlement.
Take Advantage of Legal Lien Reducing Provisions
In most states, a single lienholder cannot be paid more than a third of the settlement a plaintiff receives. Moreover, the total lien should not exceed more than 40% of the settlement amount of the injured party. Take advantage of the legal provisions in your state to keep your lien to reasonable levels.
Liens need not mar your happiness at finally getting compensation for an injury. With the above steps, you can keep them to a minimum and ensure people do not take advantage of you. The first person you should thus call following your injury should be a lawyer. They will work with you from the beginning to guarantee only unavoidable and genuine lien holders apply in your case.
