You may be surprised at how quickly the insurance company makes an offer to settle your personal injury claim. In fact, you may have an offer within hours of the accident if you haven’t been hospitalized. While it may be comforting to know that the insurance company is so responsive, the reality is that they are hoping to settle your claim quickly in order to save themselves money. Many of these settlement offers are low-ball amounts that should be rejected outright or with a well-documented, well-reasoned counter-offer.
The Houston personal injury attorneys at The Krist Law Firm understand how insurance companies operate. We know how to navigate the system, so you recover the compensation you deserve.
Contact us at (281) 283-8500 or online to schedule a free consultation about how we can help.
4 Times to Reject a Settlement Offer
1. Your Recovery is Still Uncertain
Many injuries don’t manifest themselves right away, and there may be complications along the way. Your doctor may not be able to determine whether you will make a full recovery or whether you will have certain limitations or disabilities in the future. Some injuries after car accidents don’t present themselves until later.
If you don’t yet know the extent of your injuries, you should probably reject an insurance company’s initial offer or at least discuss it with an attorney. If you need additional care, these expenses will likely not be covered, and you don’t want to wind up with losses that you will have to pay out of your own pocket.
2. It Does Not Pay All of Your Medical Expenses
Insurance companies will sometimes make low-ball offers even after you’ve received treatment and the cost of your claim is well-established. They justify these amounts with the following arguments:
- You had a pre-existing injury
- The accident was at least partially your fault
- The treatment you received was unreasonable and unnecessary
The insurance company does not get to unilaterally decide the value of your claim, and these arguments involve unjustified assumptions. You should reject any offer that doesn’t cover all of your medical expenses. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you prove your claim and argue why the insurance company’s offer is unreasonable.
3. It Does Not Cover Your Lost Income
Another indicator that you’ve received a low-ball settlement offer is that it doesn’t cover your lost income. Many of the arguments here are the same as if they didn’t cover your medical expenses, but they may simply take the position that time off of work wasn’t necessary or that you were able to work with accommodations.
4. It Does Not Include Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering can be a difficult aspect to prove – it’s somewhat subjective, and there is no bill or invoice that documents the cost of what you’ve endured. However, that doesn’t make your pain and suffering any less real. Under the law, you are entitled to be made whole, which includes the pain and suffering caused by your accident. If the insurance company is refusing to pay anything for your pain and suffering, they are low-balling you.
Injured and Worried? Contact Us.
If you’ve been injured and the insurance company is offering to settle your claim, the best thing you can do is to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer. Once you accept their offer, you will likely not be able to get further compensation, even if additional injuries come to light, you were misdiagnosed, or complications arise.
Let the Houston personal injury attorneys at The Krist Law Firm help you get all the compensation you need.
Call us at (281) 283-8500or contact us online to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.