Bodily Injury negotiation - What NOT to do
When is the best time to start your bodily injury negotiation? Some people try to negotiate their pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and the like damages the day after the accident (some the same day). The insurance company likes this type of fellows. They know they can get a substantially discounted settlement within the first two days after the impact. The result is clear. Insurance adjusters are very aggressive about getting you to agree to a settlement.
They will call you, they will write to you, and they will be fairly nice. All of these is done to butter you up to settle as soon as you can. You should always wait to start your bodily injury negotiation until you know what your medical condition is. It is critical to evaluate all factors that will come into play. If you are going to need further medical treatment, you need to be able to account for it. The worst thing that can happen is that you settle your claim, and then you learn that you have to have surgery. The insurance company will most likely decline any further payment, even if you settle for $50.
Waiting to start your bodily injury negotiation is not only important to avoid the situation described above. It also allows you time to think and perhaps talk to an attorney. Most attorneys give you free advice the first consult and they can tell you whether your case is worth fighting for or not.
The next benefit is that the insurance adjuster will not suspect that you are out there to get money. You know, the “I was hit person that the next day asks for $10,000 for pain and suffering.” This usually raises the eye brow of the insurance company and can leave you with a very aggressive adjuster unwilling to help you resolve the matter outside the court room.
There is something that makes you look “guilty” if you run and get a lawyer. Retaining a lawyer is a good thing, but you also need to be careful when you do it. Unless you have a severe case or injury, you need to give the insurance company a chance to be fair. You simply do not want to appear as if you are money hungry, it will damage your reputation and make the bodily injury negotiation very hard.
Don’t take me wrong, you are not money hungry. You simply want to be compensated fairly for your damages. However, most insurance companies and their adjuster operate from the presumption that most people are out there to take advantage of the insurance company. This is not the case. In fact, most consumers just want to settle and move on. This is probably your case, but adjusters will treat you as if you are a person trying to pass a fast one on them.
Make sure you do not treat them as if you were looking for a big settlement but as if you were looking for what is owed to you.
