If you make a personal injury claim, the person against whom you file a claim and their insurance company are both powerfully motivated to protect their own interests. It’s human nature to want to hold on to money or assets you have.
It’s an insurance adjuster’s job to protect his or her employer by helping them pay out as little as possible. Most of the time it isn’t personal, but it sure feels that way if they resist paying what seems like a fair amount. Clients ask us all the time, what happens if you reject a settlement offer?
Insurance companies or legal representatives can make settlement offers anywhere along the way. You might receive an offer right after you become injured, after you’ve filed a personal injury lawsuit or later if things end up going to trial. Whether the offer is low or high, early or late we often see client anxiety spike once it’s made because they know accepting or rejecting it is a critical decision. Let’s go over what you need to know.
Always Consult a Lawyer
When you receive an offer, don’t accept or decline right away. Even if it seems like a fantastic offer or a huge insult, wait to respond until you’ve talked with an experienced personal injury attorney. It won’t go away while you take some time, but if you reject it immediately, you can’t accept it later if the other party withdraws. You might receive a better one, but you also might not. Monsour Law Firm attorneys know legal arguments, standard requests and reasonable compensation amounts in cases like yours, and they can offer insight you might not know.
It’s Always Up to You
You don’t have to accept a settlement offer. When we represent clients and we receive a settlement offer we’re obligated to pass that on whether we think it’s fair or not. The benefit of working with experienced personal injury attorneys is that after we communicate that offer, we can offer an opinion based on what we’ve seen firsthand with cases like yours in Texas and Louisiana.
We’ll offer our insights, tell you what we know to be fact, then leave the choice up to you. If we think it’s a great offer we’ll say so and tell you why. If you decide not to take it, we will pass on your wishes and continue to represent you with the passion and diligence we’re known for. If we think the offer is too low we’ll tell you that too, and if you still decide to take it, we respect your opinion.
Don’t make a decision just to make a decision. You always have time to think things through.
Low Offers are Common
Insurance companies know it’s about a lot more than just math. It’s emotional because you’re under a lot of pressure. You’ve been hurt, so you’re dealing with physical pain. Bills are piling up. You feel pressure to pay your doctor and therapist, pressure to get back to full capacity, pressure to “get back to normal” for all the people depending on you.
The adjuster doesn’t feel that pressure because they aren’t in your situation. They know you might accept a lower offer because it seems like it would be a quick solution and give you a little of the relief you might so desperately need. They calculate what claims like yours typically cost the company and offer you less just to see if you’ll take it.
We Help With Rejection Letters
If after speaking with an attorney you feel like the offer you received is too low, we can help draft a rejection letter that states your reasoning and the concrete evidence for why you deserve a more reasonable sum. If you’re thinking through whether to reject or accept a settlement offer, why not talk to an attorney about it? Schedule your free consultation online.
