Car Accident: Is the Insurance Settlement Offer Fair?

If you have received a car accident insurance settlement offer, you might be uncertain whether the offer is fair. This is a problem in many accident cases. It is hard to know whether to accept such an offer when doing so may prevent you from asserting a future claim for the same accident. This can be a problem if the extent of your injuries or the damages is not yet certain.

What Is a Fair Settlement?

What is a fair settlement is completely dependent on your actual accident and the outcomes of it. The following should be considered in coming to any settlement in a car accident case:

The extent of any damage to your vehicle;
The extent of any damage to other personal property;
Any medical expenses incurred due to the accident (this can include by both those already incurred and those that you will be required to incur in the future);
Whether you lost any work time due to the accident (past and future);
Pain and suffering; and
if any permanent injury was sustained the value of the damages should take this into consideration.

While it can be hard to assess the value of permanent damages in an injury case, if you will suffer permanent damages, you are entitled to compensation for them. An attorney can help you figure out the best way to assess permanent injury and other damages in your case.

Negotiating With Your Insurance Company

You can attempt to negotiate with your insurance company; however, negotiating makes many people nervous because they do not have the skills for negotiating. Attorneys negotiate as part of their daily work. This is why many people fair better by hiring an attorney to handle the negotiating on their behalf.

Getting Legal Help

If you were involved in an automobile accident and you are uncertain as to the fair value of your claim, you might be well served by discussing your case with a personal injury attorney. An experienced attorney is skilled at assessing cases like yours and can give you advice about the likelihood of receiving more compensation that your insurance has offered. It is best to talk to an attorney before signing a settlement agreement because the agreement is a contract that will make it more difficult for an attorney to seek additional compensation if you find that your damages are more extensive than you first realized.

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