Hey everyone!
I had my car totaled on the freeway on july 11, 2009. sandwiched D:
here are some pics for all of you that want pics





Anyways, so the other insurance is trying to make the settlement offer? or something like that, for my pain/injury/medical
So they offered to cover my medical bills (3000) and put a 2000 on top of that
so for a total of 5000
I'm not very experienced at this sort of thing and I was told to mention trauma and whatnot
They then increased it by 500 dollars
I was wondering to all you veterans out there if this is a decent price to settle on, I mean, personally I was hoping for a bit more, but im not sure what the normal price is supposed to be.
Any help would be appreciated, thankyou

 

There are A LOT of elements that determine each case, but here's a general rule of thumb. You should get three times the amount of your medical bills for your pain and suffering. They will likely try to bargain that down, but that can be your goal or somewhere close to it. Be prepared to have a lawyer represent you, as dealing with them on your own will drive you to the nut house. They are sly and do all they can to get you to back down or go away. I am going through a similar situation that dates back to 1-08.
Good luck!

 

Get a lawyer that specializes in these things .... i am sure it will help you out in the long run

 

no real contribution about this from me but,

nice front plate thing.. the bay bridge? Where'd u get that?!

 

i was in a car accident on Sep'09.. boy i wish i had a lawyer from that day on.. now i'm looking for a lawyer that would respent me.. they going to take 1/3 of the outcome.. but still worth it..

 

what are your injuries? 3x medical bill is just some myth. you can get an ambulance ride thatll cost 2k and be perfectly fine. no way in hell will they give you 6k. 2500 for soft tissue injury isnt bad at all. and its too late to really try and milk this since you would have had to shown continued pain by attending weekly therapy sessions, etc. you would have had to contact a personal injury lawyer the moment it happened and hed refer you to doctors who will recommend bogus chiropractic/therapy sessions. without documentation you have no leg to stand on. its really not worth it for minor injuries.

 

I've done this in California. Attorneys will suck up at least 33% + expenses if you settle out of court. More if you go to trial, typically 50% + much greater costs.

How badly were you hurt? Did you take pictures of your injuries while they were fresh? Did you seek medical attention at the time of the accident? Did you miss work for doctor's appointments or treatment because you were injured? How long did follow up care last? Do you have any permanent scars as a result of the accident?

If you find yourself answering "No, I didn't do any of this" then take what they're offering. I had two different cases involving personal injury related to an automobile accident. Both times I was transported to the hospital for trauma related care. Both times I photographed my injuries to document what happened within 24 hours of the accidents. Both times I was offered the policy limits ($15k) knowing I could have sued for more with an attorney, but ended up with about the same money after a much longer wait.

IMHO, if you didn't get transported for emergency care and basically suffered soft tissue injuries and got physical therapy for those injuries, they're making a reasonable offer. You might be able to squeeze more out of them if you push harder, but it's unlikely actually hiring an attorney will do you a lot of good. You'll wait a LOT longer (the one case I had with an attorney took 18 months to settle) and you'll get nickeled and dimed to death with "costs."

 

Ask for 7k. I cant believe that totalled the car

 

I work as an insurance adjuster and 2 - 3 times medical bills is a very reasonable settlement, especially for soft tissue. In many cases 1.5 - 2x medical is also acceptable. There is no sense in getting an attorney because even if you do get 2x medical, the attorney will take 1/3.

You have the advantage that they are not starting you with a low-ball offer. Some insurance companies, especially Mercury, start you off at $200 - $500 regardless of the medical bills.

GL

 

totaled a car on July 6th, 2009.

still going to see a chiro weekly, had daily visits to my doctor's for electro-shock therapy. My sister's bills alone are $15K, mine about $5K... still continuing a schedule-friendly chiropractor weekly.

My case is a long way from over, but you should have definitely gotten yourself an attorney to handle your case.

 

I know someone who suffered back injuries which made it difficult for them to sit and general pain. The insurance company offered $2,000 at first, but after getting a lawyer, they got around $130,000 (after about 3-5 year).

 

This happens more often than people realize. I too am in a similar situation. My accident was in Jan '08, and it took about three months of chiropractor visits to get the kinks out. But a year and a half later, the same pain in the same spot came back and I had to see him again. This was just after I settled the case, so now I'm paying for it out of my pocket. Talk about a kick in the butt. The lesson here is it's never over. The back and neck have a memory and the slightest thing can trigger pain and soreness for the rest of your life. I wish I had figure this in when I was working my case. Something to think about.

 

Yup.. Get a lawyer. You can definitely get more. They'll get you what you deserve plus cover themselves in the process.

 

Did you have "trauma and whatnot"? Insurance is supposed to be compensation, not profit. You should be asking for an amount that will adequately compensate you for your losses. There's really no "normal."