While the number of injuries and deaths resulting from car accidents has declined, 2 million Americans are still injured each year in vehicle accidents. When you suffer an accident and you’re absolutely certain that the accident is not your fault, you may assume that the other party’s insurance carrier will foot the bill for your medical expenses and auto repairs. The insurance carrier may even insist that they will take care of you.
However, the reality is that insurance providers have an incentive to make the lowest settlement offer possible. In some cases, your settlement offer may not even cover all of your current bills.
Depending on the nature of your injuries, more bills may be coming. Therefore, you have every reason, and every right, to reject the initial settlement offer and an unfair valuation under Texas law. It is also advisable to retain the services of an experienced car accident attorney in order to maximize your compensation and deal with difficult insurance companies.
Preparations
After you have received medical treatment, initiate the insurance claims process as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more you may struggle to recount the details of the accident. Also, make sure to keep records of the accident that are kept in chronological order. At some point, the insurance provider of the other party will attempt to contact you with a settlement offer.
Do Not Accept the First Settlement Offer
The first offer by the insurance provider will almost always never be the last offer if you choose not to accept it. The insurance provider only makes the small offer with the hope that you’ll accept it out of desperation or simply because you don’t know how much your claim is worth. Even if you simply accept a second or third offer, you will receive a higher settlement.
Be Patient
Rather than accepting the settlement immediately, wait until you have fully recovered. You may not know the full extent of your injuries until then and you may not know how well you will recover. You may require more hours spent on physical therapy than you might have expected.
You also will not be able to anticipate the cost of care you may need in the future. Once you have accepted the claim, you will not be allowed to seek legal action against the insurance provider for compensation for the same accident in the future.
Contact a Car Accident Attorney
Instead of speaking to the insurance provider, you should contact a car accident attorney as soon as possible. He will put together a demand letter that will include the details of your accident, an itemized list of all your economic losses, and your counter-offer.
Creating a demand letter and a large counter-offer will allow you to begin the negotiation process on a strong footing. A car accident attorney will also help you determine if you should settle the case out of court or if you would likely have better luck going to trial.
Your attorney should handle the negotiation process because he will be familiar with the tactics the insurance carrier uses during the negotiation process. You will ultimately decide whether to accept the settlement offer. However, you should listen to the opinion of your attorney when deciding whether to accept the offer. By being patient, you will more likely receive an offer that will cover your bills.
If you need a car accident attorney, then you should call our law offices today at any of our convenient locations and get a free consultation.
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