You will stand a much better chance of persuading the insurance company to raise their settlement offer when you approach them through an experienced personal injury lawyer.
If you have been injured in an accident, you may need to deal with the insurance company at multiple points of the legal process. The experienced California personal injury attorneys at Heiting & Irwin can handle this for you in a determined and unyielding manner, maximizing your chances at a great settlement or verdict.
The insurance company dons a “negotiator hat” when they are attempting to settle your personal injury claim. They have their own negotiating tactics that they use, including giving you an inflated sense of the power that they have, and deflating your expectations, no matter how reasonable they may be. An insurance company’s offer is rarely “final”, especially at the early stages of your case.
If you have been hurt in an accident, seek legal representation from the personal injury lawyers in California at Heiting & Irwin. We are standing by and waiting to speak to you (free consultation).
The Insurance Company Will Try to Dictate a Settlement Amount
During the settlement process, insurance companies often try to portray themselves as having the power to dictate the amount of money that the injured party could receive for injuries. The insurance company may also make statements to you telling you that their offer is final, and you can take it or leave it. If so, and the settlement offer does not pay you enough for your damages, you should certainly leave it. And, In spite of what the insurance company says, they may have additional room to raise their settlement offer (sometimes by very substantial numbers).
The insurance company does not have the power to dictate anything to you, and it is crucial to know the role that they play in your case. The insurance company tries to save as much as possible on the claims. They also represent the interests of the other party who was involved in the accident. Because of their contract with their policyholder, though, they also take on the obligation to pay you full damages for the injuries that you have suffered, assuming that there is proof that negligence was involved in the accident. The insurance company has every financial motivation to minimize the amount that they pay you for your injuries; and the insurance adjuster is actually your adversary throughout the process (and you should be hesitant to trust anything that they say).
At the end of the day, the insurance company is trying to protect their insured in being responsible for the following elements of damages that you have sustained:
- Medical bills (past and future)
- Lost wages (Past and future)
- Pain and suffering: including,
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Embarrassment and humiliation
Negotiating with the Insurance Company
If you are early in the settlement negotiations, chances are that the insurance company is nowhere near the position where they can credibly tell you that they have made their final offer. They are likely undervaluing your damages, including things like pain and suffering and other non-economic losses. They likely have room to raise their offer. With the help of a California personal injury attorney, the insurance company will hopefully be compelled to raise their settlement offer to pay you what you deserve.
If the insurance company really will not raise their settlement offer, we can take the case out of their hands and put it into the court system. Your legal rights come from the operation of the law, which says that the negligent party must fully pay you for your injuries. You can have your day in court, and a jury would decide your case. This outcome is actually one that the insurance company does not want because it is costly and they recognize that a jury may order them to pay much more than they otherwise could have settled for.
You will stand a much better chance of persuading the insurance company to raise their settlement offer when you approach them through an experienced personal injury lawyer. Settlement negotiations are all about leverage, and hiring an experienced, highly rated personal injury attorney is yours. The insurance company needs to feel pressure; urgency. That occurs when they see that you are represented by a good personal injury lawyer.
Contact a Riverside Personal Injury Law Firm Today
All you need to do to take the first step towards potential financial compensation after your accident is to reach out to a Riverside personal injury attorney at Heiting & Irwin. You can schedule an appointment to speak with a personal injury lawyer by filling out an online contact form or by calling us today at (951) 682-6400.
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