Receiving an Unreasonable Settlement Offer
If you have just been in a car accident, don’t be surprised if you are contacted by the at-fault driver’s insurance company within a day or two after the accident happened. Once their insured driver (the at-fault party) contacts the insurance company to report the accident and your potential claim for property damage and bodily injury, they are free to contact you directly to make arrangements to you for your vehicle to be repaired and they may also make an offer for your injuries at this time.
If you have recently gotten a settlement offer that you believe to be unreasonable, contact our lawyers today. As a national law firm, we have lawyers in every state that you can speak with regarding your case. No matter which state in the United States your accident occurred, we may be able to help get you a fairer settlement offer.
What To Do If The At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Company Contacts You
If you are contacted by the at-fault driver’s insurance agency, it is advised not to immediately agree to any settlement right off the bat. This is especially true in the event you are still getting treatment for your injuries. Since the injuries may end up being more severe than you realize, agreeing to a settlement before you finish medical care can allow the insurance agency to be “off the hook” for any further care you may need related to your injuries from the accident. If you receive a settlement offer before you have finished medical care, it would be wise to talk to an attorney who may be able to better explain your options. If you rely on what the insurance agents say to you, it may not benefit you since they may be trying to close the claim out as quickly as possible to avoid paying a larger amount of money in a settlement. Additionally, many attorneys recommend that you do not give a recorded statement to the company of the other driver. However, this is dependent on the facts of your case, so you will need to speak with an attorney to decide if giving a statement is the right choice for you and your case.
What Can You Do About an Unreasonable Settlement Offer?
If you have received an offer from the insurance company and you believe it to be unreasonable, you have the option of negotiating further with the insurance company on your own or hiring an attorney to negotiate your claim on your behalf. Often, the first offer may not feel reasonable to you, but it is common to continue negotiating toward a settlement that is agreeable to both parties. In the event you cannot get a reasonable offer from the other side, you do have the option of formally filing your case with the court and going to trial on your case. You may have the option of either having a jury trial or a bench trial. A jury trial will have a designated number of individuals who will hear the evidence presented from both sides and make a decision on a verdict. If you have a bench trial, then the judge will be the one to hear the evidence from each side, and the judge will then make a ruling.
If you received an unreasonable offer from the other driver’s insurance agency, you have a few different options as to how to get a better result. Speaking with one of our attorneys today can help you get on the right track to recovering damages for your injuries in the collision.