Car Accidents: Is the Settlement Being Offered to You Fair?

A personal injury victim following an automobile accident often questions if the settlement offer initially made by the insurance company is fair. It is essential for personal injury victims to understand that insurance carriers will try to pay as little as they can on any claim. Some victims believe that they can negotiate a fair settlement with their insurance company or the other driver, but this is where they are mistaken.

If you are not represented by a lawyer, you are risking being offered an unfair settlement by insurance carriers involved. Here are some tell-tale signs that you are being offered an unfair settlement:

You are assigned too much fault for the accident.

During the settlement process, insurance companies assign a percentage of fault to each of the drivers involved in the accident. If you are assigned too high a percentage of fault, your settlement offer might be reduced significantly. This is where a police report becomes of utmost importance. The police report can indicate that you were not at fault in the accident. So when the insurance companies are arguing otherwise, you can fight that argument.

The settlement does not cover your medical expenses.

If the proposed settlement doesn’t cover the medical expenses you incurred following the accident, you are not being offered a fair settlement. You should not accept a settlement that does not cover the cost of your medical care, prescription medications, doctor visits, therapy sessions, and others.

The settlement does not cover the repairs to your vehicle.

In the same way, if the settlement being offered to you does not cover the costs of repairing your vehicle following an accident, you should consult a lawyer to discuss your rights. The insurance company can also deny a rental car or compensation for one, being given conflicting reports about the amount of damage to your car.

The insurance company is acting in bad faith or making threats.

Insurance companies have a duty to act in good faith when dealing with people and policyholders who were involved in accidents with their policyholders. If your insurance company, or even that of the driver, has acted in bad faith during the insurance settlement process, you are unlikely to receive a fair settlement. Your insurance company might be acting in bad faith if:

*They deny your claim without giving a reason,

*They threated you during the settlement negotiation process,

*They refuse your requests for documentation to support their decision,

*They make unreasonable requests for documentation,

*They fail to conduct a reasonable and prompt investigation into your claims.

If you believe that you are not being offered a fair settlement, let us help you out. Call our office at 1.855.905.9222 for a free consultation.