Many personal injury claims and cases are resolved through an out-of-court settlement. However, the early stages of settlement negotiations can be challenging for any injury victim. One reason is that it often involves receiving a low offer from the other party. How should you respond to a low offer? Here are a few important tips for success.
1. Don't React Emotionally
First, keep calm and avoid reacting angrily to negotiation tactics. This negotiation is usually a job best left to your legal advisors. You are generally under no obligation to respond in person to any communication from the insurer or liable party. And because insultingly low offers can easily trigger unhelpful responses by an injured party, let the professionals handle it.
2. Ask the Adjustor for Details
Ask questions of the adjustor about how they reached the low number. This isn't necessarily the time to argue each item point by point, but knowing what they may have undervalued is key to preparing a response.
3. Develop Your Own Number
Work with your attorney and medical providers to come up with your own target settlement amount independently of what the insurer or defendant has offered. When you work from your own information and data, you can better defend how you choose to value your injuries and financial losses. You're not playing defense but rather offense.
4. Don't Commit Too Early
Settling at the right time is the only way to know what the true value of your claim is. If you don't yet know the full extent of your current and ongoing medical issues or your financial losses, every offer could be too low. Don't feel pressured into taking a low offer — or perhaps even entertaining offers — before you're ready. Remember that you can continue to negotiate throughout the case.
5. Know the Limits
Accepting a personal injury settlement offer is a two-part decision. The first is financial, trying to ensure the highest amount that's feasible for your situation. However, you must also weigh how much you're willing to or can do to pursue that. If you're not prepared to deal with a court trial or the person's insurance has a low limit, it's important to know when to compromise on the balance.
Where to Start
Whether you've already received a low settlement offer or you're worried about it, the best place to begin is to meet with an experienced personal injury lawyer in your state today. Contact a relevant law firm in your area such as Labine Law Firm to learn more.
Share26 April 2023
If you are injured in an accident, what is your first move? While getting medical care should be your first priority, the fact of the matter is that working with the right lawyer can be incredibly helpful in making it easier to prevent problems. For starters, your lawyer can talk with you about what to do in order to prevent problems with your paperwork, and he or she can chat with you about what to do when you start getting calls from other attorneys talking about the case. On this website, check out great tips and tricks you can use to prevent problems with your recovery from a financial perspective.
