Should You Try to Negotiate with the Insurer after an Accident?
Posted on: 29 September 2022
Car accident outcomes are difficult to predict. Even personal injury lawyers are challenged to predict how much money a victim might be owed. Read on to find out why you should not be dealing directly with the other driver's insurer in any manner.
How Much are You Owed?
The amount you end up being paid depends on several factors. For instance, once you find out the condition of your wrecked vehicle, you may know how much money you are owed. However, when it comes to future medical costs, you may only know what you are owed after you have been treated for a certain time.
Why Does This Matter?
Too many victims calculate how much they are owed based on the wrong information. It's not as simple as adding things up. How will you compute pain and suffering, for instance? This form of damage can be one of the highest of all forms of compensation but how the payment is calculated is very complicated.
Victims that don't know how much they are owed are not likely to be paid what they deserve. Many victims accept whatever the insurer offers them. In most cases, the insurer is just throwing out a number to gauge your level of desperation. They know you don't have a personal injury lawyer to help you, so they take advantage of you. Any time you find yourself discussing your case on the phone with the other driver's insurer, get off the phone right away. There is every chance you could hurt your case by speaking to them.
Let Your Lawyer Deal with the Insurer
Personal injury lawyers deal with accidents and damages every day. You can count on your lawyer to evaluate your case and know how much you are owed for your medical expenses, pain, and suffering, lost wages, wrecked vehicle, and more.
Once the other driver's insurer knows that you have a lawyer, things will change. The first thing you will notice is that you are no longer being contacted by the insurer at all. Now, all communications must go through your lawyer.
Also, once they know you have a lawyer, they will realize that you won't be accepting a paltry settlement offer. Your lawyer will work with the other side and negotiate with them to get you the money damages you need.
Rather than accept a lowball offer, get paid what you deserve. Speak to a personal injury lawyer to learn more.
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