Auto insurance coverage is supposed to help you cover the costs of your medical treatment and injury-related expenses after a car accident caused by someone else. Unfortunately for many injured drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, this situation can get complicated fast. That’s because every car accident is different—including the ways that injuries can affect the lives of those involved.
After all, a broken bone requiring surgery that leaves a medical technician out of work for a month is certainly a different scenario than a welder who faces a lifetime of back pain. So, how do insurance companies decide how much each case is worth?
The Business Model Behind a Quick Car Accident Settlement Offer
Insurance adjusters aren’t always transparent about the methods they use to determine case value, but one fact is clear: insurance companies are businesses designed to maximize their profits. This means paying out less than they take in, and they can accomplish this in one simple way: making quick settlement offers to victims who don’t know the true value of their case.
Here’s an example: A car accident victim suffers back pain after a rear-end collision. An insurance adjuster reaches out to chat with the victim and begin the claims process. After investigators determine both parties are partially at fault, a $15,000 settlement offer is presented to the victim in question, just weeks after the crash. The victim accepts, and by doing so, signs away their rights to pursue the any further compensation.
$15,000 covers the medical bills up to the date of the settlement and leaves a few thousand extra—not too bad, right? Not so fast. Consider this:
- The victim hadn’t finished treatment when they signed the offer, and over time, learns that they will never recover to the way they felt before the crash. Treatment can help, but it isn’t free, and it may be required for years to come.
- The victim is forced to consider another job with less physical labor—but also less pay.
- The victim’s physician recommends surgery as an option to relieve the pain, but the full costs are not covered by their health insurance.
Why We Want to Help
Unfortunately for many injury victims who go without a lawyer, the complications that follow the accident in the months and years to come can be devastating.
As injury lawyers, it’s our job to think ten steps ahead to ensure the clients we help have access to the resources they need to get their lives back. This means calculating past, current, and future wage loss, the full cost of their treatment over time, and the toll that pain and suffering may inflict on their daily life. And in many cases, the results we achieve are significantly higher than the initial offer from the insurance company.
Don’t sign away your rights and let an insurance company profit from one of the most difficult times in your life. Contact Dudley DeBosier today, and let us work one-on-one with you to help determine the true value of your case. , Our goal is clear every step of the way—we want to change the way people think about attorneys, one relationship at a time.