Dealing with insurance companies after a car accident is a tricky business. If you decide to make a personal injury claim, at some point, you will most likely need to negotiate with the insurance company of the negligent driver.
In the aftermath of a car accident, your mind is probably scattered in a million different directions. It’s overwhelming handling the medical bills, injury recovery, and other stressors on your own. Insurance adjusters know that and will try to take advantage of your situation.
We know the process is overwhelming, but you don’t have to go through it alone. The attorneys at The Nick Schnyder Law Firm will help you as you navigate your car accident case. Even with our help, you must understand the basics of negotiating with insurance companies about your car accident settlement, so you don’t accidentally mess up your settlement.
The Goal Of Insurance Companies
Before you learn how to negotiate with an insurance company, you need to understand their goals. To be clear, the goal of the insurance company is to pay you as little as possible. Their priority is maximizing their profits. They don’t want to give you their money.
They will try to process your claim as quickly as possible and pay you the smallest amount they can. Even if they seem like they’re offering you a decent claim, you shouldn’t accept their first offer.
We recommend a lawyer to help you get a fair settlement, but you should be aware that insurance adjusters don’t care about paying you what your claim is worth. They just want to help themselves.
Tips For Negotiating With Insurance Companies
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Report The Car Accident Right Away
Right after your car accident, you should contact your insurance company. The sooner you initiate a personal injury claim, the better. This way, you can remember all the small details correctly and report any injuries you have sustained.
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Take Detailed Records
Make sure you keep track of all your records of the car accident. Having important documents readily available makes the settlement process run much smoother.
Records of your accident should include:
– The police report
– Pictures of the accident scene
– Documentation of your injuries
– Medical bills
– Bills for vehicle repairs
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Estimate Your Damages
You need to determine your estimated settlement amount before sending an official letter of demand to the insurance company.
Your estimated amount should include:
– Medical bills and related expenses
– Pain and physical suffering
– Amount of income you lost if you can’t work
– Cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle
– Your disability/if you need long-term careAfter a car accident, you will have some losses. These losses are also known as “damages” to insurance companies, and you need to know how much yours are worth.
There are two categories of damages:
– Special damages: measurable amounts of money lost, like medical bills and lost wages
– General damages: intangible losses such as pain and emotional trauma.
Estimate your claim value by adding all your calculations for damages and using it in your letter of demand sent to the insurance company. Every case is different, and it’s a lot to handle on your own. An experienced car accident attorney, like the lawyers at The Nick Schnyder Law Firm, can help you figure out what your claim is worth.
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Send a Demand Letter
After you calculate your damages and estimate what your claim is worth, you should send a demand letter to the insurance company. In this letter, you should write about your injuries, the medical care you received (or will continue to receive), the damages to your vehicle, and any other losses you have suffered because of the negligent driver.Then, include the exact amount you believe would cover all of the damages. The insurance company will probably send back and offer lower than what you deserve, so you should ask for a little more than you would like to settle for.Make you have the proper documentation to back up everything you mention in your demand letter. Evidence is key to getting the compensation you deserve.
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Don’t Accept The First Offer
As mentioned above, the insurance company doesn’t want to pay you what you deserve. They’re going to offer you minimum compensation. Don’t settle for that.You shouldn’t accept the first offer the insurance company offers you. They’re testing to see if you know how much your case is truly worth. You need to ask them for specific reasons why their offer is so low. Take notes on what they say.Write another brief letter responding to all the factors the insurance adjuster gave you and see if they increase their offer. Most car accident cases settle at some point, so it’s just a question of when the request will be accepted.
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Emphasize Your Emotional Pain
When you’re negotiating your settlement amount, you don’t need to bother rehashing the facts repeatedly. They can see all of that on paper. Only emphasize the most vital points that benefit your case.Use emotional points to support your claim. For instance, if your injury affected you long-term, mention you will have trouble working again to support your family. Your loved ones will suffer as a result of your accident.Make it clear you desperately need to receive fair compensation for your damages to see if you can persuade them to give you a fair settlement amount.
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Make Sure Everything Is In Writing
The key to your settlement is getting everything down in writing. Make sure you confirm the terms of your settlement offer in a written letter. This letter should include:
– The amount you will receive
– Damages and injuries it covers
– Date by which you expect to receive settlement documentsMake sure all of the necessary parties sign this document to make it official. -
Talk To An Experienced Car Accident Attorney
While all of these tips are important to remember when filing a personal injury claim, the best thing you can do for your case is to call an experienced car accident attorney, like Nick Schnyder, The Injury Fighter.At the Nick Schnyder Law Firm, auto accidents and car wrecks are our primary focus and specialty. We provide strong and swift representation for victims of collision damages, claims, and injuries due to a negligent driver.If you have been hurt or injured in a car wreck, the team at the Nick Schnyder Law Firm is here to help and make sure that you get maximum compensation for your injury. We will help negotiate with greedy insurance companies to ensure you get paid.
