What to Do if the Insurance Companys Settlement Offer After an Accident is Not Enough
Do not sign a settlement offer letter from an insurance company if it is not enough to cover your accident-related financial losses; instead, contact a car accident lawyer to discuss your options.
Medical bills are so expensive that just one injury is enough to disrupt your finances for years to come, even if you make a full recovery and are back at work a short time later. If your injuries are the result of a car accident, you might console yourself with the knowledge that the insurance company will send you a check to reimburse you for your accident-related medical bills and vehicle repairs. What usually happens, though, is that the check arrives weeks later, or even months later, than you expected it to, and the amount is much lower than what you were hoping to receive. Sometimes it is not even enough to cover what you paid or what you still owe on medical bills, even if your health insurance covered some of your medical expenses. Do not think that your only option is to sign the settlement offer, deposit the check for a paltry amount, and cut your losses. The Murrieta car accident lawyers at Gibbs & Fuerst LLP can help you get a better settlement.
Insurance Companies are Looking to Save Themselves Money
In a perfect world, car insurance companies would just look at the bills you received from doctors, hospitals, car mechanics, and auto body shops after an accident and write you a check equal to the total amount you had to pay. If they did that, though, their business would not be profitable, at least not unless insurance premiums were much higher. Instead, insurance companies offload the responsibility for as much of the cost as possible onto anyone they can, including you or other insurance companies.
This is why insurance claims adjusters call you and ask you to give a recorded statement and why they send you multiple letters asking you to submit written statements describing the accident in your own words. They are trying to get you to contradict yourself, to admit fault for the accident, or both. In other words, they are looking for excuses to pay you less.
Isn’t a Small Payout Better Than No Payout at All?
Many drivers accept insufficient payouts from insurance companies just because they are tired of the hassle of dealing with insurance claims adjusters. If you do not sign the settlement offer, though, you still have a chance to get a better settlement. If you receive a settlement offer that is not enough to cover your accident-related losses, you should contact a car accident lawyer, and the lawyer can help you negotiate for a better settlement or identify other sources of payouts.
Contact a Murrieta Car Accident Lawyer
A car accident lawyer can help you get an adequate insurance settlement after an accident, as long as you have not already signed to accept an insufficient settlement offer. Contact Gibbs & Fuerst LLP in Murrieta, California to set up a consultation about your car accident case.