When you’re involved in a car accident and the other driver is found liable, the insurance company will often want to quickly settle the case to avoid an expensive lawsuit. However, it’s essential that you hire a lawyer who can provide personal injury help with negotiations, and who can prevent the insurance company from taking advantage of you and ensure you get a fair settlement. If you want to try and settle on your own, though, here are a few tips that may help.
Calculate Your Damages
Before you can determine if the amount the insurance company is offering you is fair, you need to know how much your claim is worth; you can get a ballpark estimate by calculating your compensable damages. Some of the numbers you need will be easy to obtain such as your medical expenses and lost income, while others, such as the cost of a permanent disability or disfigurement, you’ll need to research and estimate the worth.
Doing a search online for cases similar to yours can help you figure out how much you should be asking the insurance company for.
Force the Insurance Company to Explain Itself
If the insurance company insists on only submitting very low offers, force the provider to justify the amount. For instance, the insurance company may think they can give you a low-ball offer because it doesn’t believe you’ll have any long-term medical needs, but if your doctor indicates you will have ongoing medical issues, then you need to follow up with that information and make the company reconsider.
Don’t Accept the First Settlement Offer
As with any good negotiations, the first offer is really a test to determine if you know what you are doing, and it will be intentionally low. If you’ve already sent the insurance company a demand letter with your preferred amount, respond to the company’s offer with a counteroffer that’s only a tiny bit lower than the original amount you requested. This will show the company you’re aware of the worth of your claim but that you’re willing to compromise to get the best deal.
If you get stuck at an impasse with the insurance company, hire personal injury help such as the attorney Dulaney Lauer & Thomas LLP. An attorney can negotiate on your behalf and make sure you get what you’re owed.
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