Throughout the settlement process, your personal injury lawyer will contact you with updates on how the negotiations are going with the at-fault driver’s insurance adjuster. Don’t be dismayed by the first offer – it’s not the final word. Your lawyer will be able to advise you about whether you should accept the offer or request a different amount, and like most negotiations, the first offer is rarely the best one you’ll get.
It’s in the adjuster’s interest to offer you the bare minimum to compensate you for your medical care, pain and suffering, loss of wages, and other accident-related expenses. Sometimes, their first offer won’t even cover the minimum. Approximately 95 percent of personal injury cases are resolved by settlement, rather than trial. This is where having an experienced lawyer becomes very useful, because a lawyer who has worked many personal injury cases arrives to the negotiations with a reputation for not accepting low-ball, unfair offers and, when necessary, forcing insurance companies to try cases.
Ultimately, the decision of whether to settle or not is yours. However, your lawyer will be able to provide the best advice from experience on whether an offer is fair, or whether you need to re-negotiate for further compensation.
