Settlement on personal injury cases

Many people attempt to settle their own personal injury claim with the insurance adjusters. Although we believe this to be a mistake, enclosed we will provide you, the consumer, with points to remember if you decide to settle without an attorney.

Insurance companies are not your friends. The adjuster will talk to you in a friendly manner, until is time to pay. Remember that their bottom line, not yours its important to them. The adjuster will employ delay tactics to make you want to settle for less. DON'T FALL FOR IT.

The key to a successful personal injury claim is your injuries. The more severe the injuries, the better the settlement that you can expect. A very simple general rule is to ask for twice the medicals for a soft tissue injury and three times the medicals for fractures, lacerations or more severe injuries.

The insurance company has a duty to "in good faith" attempt to settle the case promptly with the other side, in this case you. However, they can and often do, breach that duty by their delays. In many cases you can used this to your advantage.

Remember that your property damage and personal injury are two separate and distinct claims, even though the insurance will treat them as one. Do not compromise one with the other one.

Once the injury happens, do not take long to obtain treatment. Insurance companies will not pay you if you have delays in treatment. The general rule is no more than two weeks.

Your medicals should be directly proportionate to your injury. In other words, do not have thousands of dollars in medicals if your property damage was less than one thousand dollars. This could get you in the adjuster not wanting to pay for all the medicals.

Always remember to ask for reductions from your medical providers. The more that you can reduce, them more that you can keep.

These general rules are only to be used as a guide. We always recommend that you consult with a personal injury lawyer in your area. Since insurance company adjusters have many tools to their disposal, you should have your own, one of them been your attorney.