Feeling Shortchanged? Steps to Take If You’re Not Happy with Car Accident Settlement

If you’re not happy with car accident settlement offer, you may be wondering what you can do about it. In this article, we dive into the reasons why car accident settlements sometimes disappoint and offer advice on how to challenge the amount you’ve been offered. Learn to evaluate the fairness of your settlement offer, understand the negotiation process, and equip yourself with the knowledge to either renegotiate your settlement offer or take further legal steps.

Key Takeaways

• Fair settlement offers should consider both economic and non-economic damages. But a settlement offer from the insurance company may fall short due to the insurance company’s focus on profit and various factors influencing victims’ acceptance, such as the urgency of financial needs and a lack of understanding of the claim’s true value.
• Assessing the fairness of a settlement offer requires a comprehensive review of all damages, and contesting a low offer involves clear communication with the insurer, crafting a detailed counteroffer, and possibly working with a personal injury lawyer to help bolster your claim.
• If you’re not able to negotiate a fair settlement offer, your next step is a personal injury trial. Throughout the process, the expertise of a personal injury attorney can be pivotal in steering negotiations and improving the chances of fair compensation.

Understanding Your Car Accident Settlement

A car accident settlement offer is usually calculated by the insurance company using specific formulas. These formulas should account for both economic and non-economic damages related to your accident. Economic damages in a settlement refer to quantifiable losses such as medical expenses, lost income, and loss of earning capacity. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are more subjective and harder to quantify. In Virginia, these can include pain and suffering, with assigned multipliers helping to determine their monetary value within a settlement. What this means is that every dollar you’ve lost or spent, and every moment of discomfort you’ve experienced due to the accident, is factored into your settlement offer.

But how does an insurance company arrive at these figures? Well, it’s the job of a claims adjuster to assess your personal injury claim by considering medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. They then use this information to decide on the insurance company’s settlement offer. However, this calculated offer might not always reflect the full extent of your damages. This brings us to why a settlement offer may fall short of your expectations.

Why A Settlement Offer May Fall Short

The truth is, insurance companies are for-profit companies. They aim to protect their bottom line and maximize profits, especially in high-value claims. This often results in a low initial settlement offer. If an insurance company believes you will not hire an attorney or they believe your case is weak, they may feel no pressure to make a fair settlement offer. Understanding an insurance company’s motivations can help you navigate the negotiation process more effectively.

You might be asking, why would anyone accept an insurance company’s low settlement offer? Well, several factors may encourage a personal injury victim to accept a low personal injury settlement offer. Victims may accept lower offers due to:

• a lack of understanding of the true value of their claims
• desperation for immediate funds to cover expenses
• a lack of supporting medical evidence causing a personal injury settlement offer that does not reflect true damages.

We have explored why some settlements fall short. Now, it’s now time to uncover how to assess the fairness of your personal injury settlement offer and get a fair settlement for your personal injury claim.

Evaluating the Fairness of the Insurance Company’s Settlement Offer

Assessing the fairness of your personal injury

Assessing the fairness of your personal injury settlement offer is a vital step in the negotiation process. It involves taking into account your:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Potential future medical needs due to the accident

This involves a thorough evaluation of the insurance adjuster’s initial settlement offer. But how can you keep track of all these expenses and losses? Maintaining thorough records of all related expenses, including medical treatments and lost income, is key to backing a higher settlement demand. It’s also important to be aware of how factors like contributory negligence might influence the value of your claim and its potential for settlement.

But that’s not all. You also need to quantify both the physical and emotional pain and suffering you’ve experienced as a result of the accident when determining if the settlement offer is fair. When you have signed the insurance company’s Settlement Agreement, further claims cannot be brought even if your injuries are more severe than initially thought or you incur more medical bills.

The Role of Demand Letters in Negotiations

A demand letter is a critical tool in the negotiation process. It presents your side of the story and details the impact of the accident on your life. Personal injury attorneys use demand letters to comprehensively outline the evidence and explain the damages sought, highlighting the unique impact of the case on your life.

Contesting a Settlement Offer

If your settlement offer seems low, you may be able to contest the offer from the insurance company. The first step involves telling the insurance adjuster that the settlement offer too low. Remember that maintaining civil and constructive dialogues with the insurance adjuster is important to preserving your credibility throughout the negotiation process. Ask the insurance company for a precise explanation of the reasons behind the low settlement offer. This will better prepare you for your response. Once you’ve gathered the necessary information, it’s time to craft a counteroffer.

Strategies to Strengthen Your Position

Your chances of obtaining the settlement you deserve from the insurance company can be significantly improved by doing the following things:

• Collecting comprehensive evidence, including police reports, eyewitness accounts, photos, and videos of the accident scene
• Compiling detailed medical bills and doctor’s statements to depict the full impact of the accident-related injuries
• Engaging a personal injury attorney who can gather evidence and reach medical experts to assess the true severity of injuries and provide crucial testimony and documentation

By implementing these strategies, you may strengthen your case and increase your chances of receiving the settlement you deserve from the insurance company. There may be instances where your initial claim doesn’t account for all the damages you’ve incurred. In such situations, pursuing additional compensation for uncovered damages becomes necessary. This process involves:

• Evaluating future losses, like potential lifelong medical care or inability to work
• Pursuing compensation for medical costs of treating psychiatric conditions resulting from the accident
• Claiming for lost income due to the emotional distress impacting your ability to work.

Obtaining a second opinion from specialists can help to corroborate the severity of injuries, potentially aiding in securing adequate compensation for unforeseen medical complications related to the accident.

When to Start Thinking About a Personal Injury Trial

A personal injury trial may become necessary if you and the insurance company cannot agree on a fair settlement offer for your personal injury case through negotiations. If the insurance company doesn’t make an adequate settlement offer, then going to a trial can be considered.

What to Avoid When Unhappy with a Settlement

Feeling unhappy with a settlement is perfectly normal. However, it’s very important to avoid making decisions based on emotions. Instead, decisions should be made on the facts surrounding the accident and your inuries. Also, it’s advisable to consult an experienced personal injury lawyer before accepting a settlement offer, as they can advise whether the offer is fair and help prepare for the potential requirement of a counteroffer or engaging in further negotiations.

The Importance of Timely Action

Time is of the essence when it comes to resolving a car accident claim with a settlement offer. Failure to file a law suit in court in a timely manner could result in missing the applicable statute of limitations, eliminating the possibility to recover compensation through litigation.

Ritchie Law Firm: Navigating Settlement Negotiations

Navigating settlement negotiations can be challenging. However, with the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer, you can steer the negotiations in your favor.

With your personal injury team at the Ritchie Law Firm, you get an unrivaled advantage against the insurance company. Several of the attorneys on our team were insurance defense lawyers before deciding that they would rather help injured people. We know how to beat insurance companies at their own game. This gives you an unrivaled advantage against getting hurt twice – once in the accident and a second time by the insurance company. With this advantage, your team at the Ritchie Law Firm can help ensure fair financial compensation for your case.

DON’T GET HURT TWICE!! Your car accident attorney team at the Ritchie Law Firm will help you deal with Uber accidents. We have helped thousands of injured people get the money they deserve after they’ve been injured. Call today to get your free case evaluation and free consultation — 800-277-6124.

Don’t Get Hurt Twice!

You can talk to us for FREE consultation

Call today 800-277-6124, fill out the form below or

download our free e-book here

800-277-6124

Ritchie Law Firm is a Virginia and West Virginia serious injuries lawyer and car accident attorney law firm devoted to helping individuals who have suffered serious and catastrophic injuries or lost a loved one as a result of someone else’s negligence. The personal injury lawyers at the Ritchie Law Firm offers legal representation to all of Virginia, while helping clients in cities and surrounding areas of Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Staunton, and Winchester also serves clients in West Virginia, including Martinsburg, WV.