Key Aspects to Look at When Negotiating a Car Accident Settlement
Lately, there has been an increase in automobile accidents in different parts of the world. Even though automobile accidents are quick to take place, the recovery of the damages done may take much longer. Negotiating on a settlement after the car accident is never an easy task regardless of the damage suffered, that is body injuries or car damages. In this article, you will learn what you need to know about negotiating a car accident settlement.
What does the car insurance policy say? There are different car insurances policies, it is not every car accident occurrence that the insurance company will pay, you should know this. Since you are not ready to spend your time on negotiating for a settlement that the company is not liable to, you should get to know the type of losses that the auto insurance cover can stand for. Besides knowing what the insurance policy covers, you should also know to what limit in terms of money.
What is the settlement amount? In most cases, car accidents are likely to result to body injuries and damage of properties which could be another car or any other property that has been damaged by the car, you should know the value of the damage. Since insurance companies are not likely to pay you more than your stated amount, you should learn to quote a higher figure to give them room to negotiate for a lower value which should lie within your expectation.
Do not allow the first offer given by the insurance company to frustrate you because its low. Just like any other business, insurance companies are not ready to pay out big compensation amount, they will, therefore, try to bring your stated compensation amount low to reduce the payouts. When given a low offer, ask the insurance company to write down a justification for the low amount and see how you can attack the reasons by offering a counter.
You can contact a car accident lawyer should you fail to agree on the right amount. Do not be troubled by the auto insurance representative when you fail to agree on a compensation amount after you have suffered grievous body injuries from the car accident seek the services of a car accident lawyer. Personal injury lawyers who have majored in car accidents are knowledgeable in how they deal with car insurance companies when negotiating for compensation. Note that a car accident advice will require you to pay them.