Don’t Take The Bait: Never Accept The First Offer After an Accident!
Accepting the first offer you’re given after an accident may seem like the right thing to do. You’re getting help and financial aid for the situation that occurred, and you’re able to move on with your life and rid yourself of a traumatic situation.
However, what many people fail to realize, and what we plan to shed light on throughout this blog post is that there are several reasons why it may be in your best interest to reject that initial offer and instead speak to a personal injury attorney, like those at Marcari, Russotto, Spencer & Balaban.
The First Offer May Not Help You Long Term!
Often, injuries can turn out to be far more complicated than they may appear to be when they take place. This unfortunately can lead to more costly procedures like surgeries and specialty treatments to help rectify the damage done. When an insurance provider makes an initial offer to settle a claim, it more often than not will rarely ever take future expenses like these into account.
Insurance comapnies are aware that injury victims will rarely take future expenses into account when they accept a settlement offer.
Your insurance company might move quickly to make their initial offer before you’ve had the time to be properly evaluated by your primary care physician/a medical professional. While this makes sense to preserve their best interest, it does not help you. It can leave you on the hook for the following payments:
- Surgery/Surgeries
- Hospitalization
- Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation
- Psychological Treatments
It’s no secret – these big insurance companies are trying to protect their bottom line – they don’t care about you, they only pretend to care so you take the action they need you to take. Before you agree to any settlement offer, it’s best to speak with an attorney to explore and review all of your options.
Our Team of Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys Works to Prove Your Case!
Our motor vehicle accident attorneys have built a network of investigators and accident reconstructionists who are distinguished in their fields of expertise. Together with these experts, we work to determine the cause of your vehicle crash.
We collaborate with our own medical experts to document the full extent of your injuries. If it is determined that injuries and property damage are the results of another driver’s negligent or reckless behavior, we’ll proudly commit the full thrust of our force towards the fight for the maximum compensation possible. Call us today at (855) 435-7247.
View The First Offer as a Starting Point!
If you’ve rejected the first offer from the insurance company, it starts the negotiation process and the insurance adjuster handling your claim will have to show their hand – they have the ability to offer more (dependant on the time of claim) – don’t be phased by them telling you that they have to stick to one specific amount. This is nothing more than a strategy that these adjusters deploy to convince the injured victims to take a lower offer, and in turn, help their employer save money.
You are well within your rights to reject any settlement offers, and the insurance company will likely motion to make another offer.
Should I Make a Counter-Offer? How Will It All Play Out?
Every single accident claim and the subsequent case is different – but here is a pretty typical outline of how the settlement process may happen:
- The insurance company will make an initial offer that is almost always less than what you deserve.
From there:
- You, and your personal injury attorney, will respond to their offer with a detailed demand letter asking for more than what they’ve offered you.
Next:
- A combination of you, your attorney, and the insurance adjuster will continue to exchange letters/conversations via phone/email to further along the negotiation process, with the hope of keeping the settlement in the high-figure range – while naturally, the adjuster tries to keep it low.
Finally:
- A final settlement figure is obtained with both parties comfortable with the outcome. From there, you will be prompted to sign a release of liability and the insurance company will provide you with a check.
As we mentioned above, each case and claim is different, and this may not be the exact process that you experience – especially if the injuries you’ve sustained are quite minor (or if there were no injuries at all).
Schedule a Free Consultation Today! Sign Up Below!
If you sustained injuries, in a motor vehicle accident, anywhere in North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia, our attorneys at Marcari, Russotto, Spencer & Balaban may be able to help.
We thoroughly investigate the circumstances of your accident and aggressively pursue the maximum compensation possible for your injuries. Call us today at (855) 435-7247 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
You can also contact us by filling out the form below. Once you’ve filled it out, and we’ve received it, we will make sure to reach out to you as soon as we possibly can. We look forward to hearing from you!
