It happened to you. Serious injuries after a car accident have put the brakes on your life as you know it. The injuries have prevented you from working. Medical costs pile up and you need time to recuperate. But something unexpected also has befallen you afterward. You find yourself regularly fielding calls from the other driver’s insurance company.
What is this all about? Deep down, you know something is not right. Trust your suspicions on this one. The rival insurance company wants to settle with you. The perseverance of its agent has you unsettled. Do not deal with the other driver’s insurance company as it tries to negotiate a settlement with you. And it is guaranteed to be a low-ball offer. Never accept the first offer.
Recovery may take a long time
The other insurance company claims to offer an enticing settlement. However, remember, it represents the driver at fault, the person who caused your accident leading to your serious injuries. A quick settlement works in its favor, knowing that if your insurance company gets involved – and it should get involved – the discussions would drag on and be costly for their side.
With the aggressive approach of the other driver’s insurance company, you must understand that you will not get a fair offer. There is the chance that you may have to live for a long time with your injuries, some of which could be debilitating. If this happens to be the case, a low-ball offer will not suffice.
Your settlement must go a long way and help cover the following:
- Medical bills and rehabilitation costs for injuries such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, fractures and loss of limb.
- Lost wages as your injuries prevent you from working. Some of those injuries could be permanent. Accepting a low-ball offer could only harm you in such situations.
- Pain and suffering to you and your family because such an injury likely not only affects you physically, but emotionally, too.
- Lost companionship as you and your spouse or partner may not be able to enjoy life as you had pre-accident.
- Repairs to your vehicle. Recovering from your injuries remains the priority, but the repair costs cannot be neglected.
It is not a prudent idea to accept an early insurance settlement offer in an accident with injury case. The other driver’s insurance company wants to shortchange you, and, sometimes, will do its best to deceive you.
