You’ve recently been injured in a car accident. You’ve always heard that insurance companies play games to avoid paying up. You’re pleasantly surprised, then, when the insurance adjuster offers you a quick settlement.
Hold on a minute. There are still good reasons to think twice about what you’re being offered and why.
The conventional wisdom says that you should always be suspicious of fast offers from insurance companies. The insurance company is an entity that’s designed to make money. Every dollar it can save on a claim (including your claim) goes toward that goal. The concerns of the company outweigh whatever sympathies the claim adjuster assigned to your case may have for you.
Here are several reasons that you may be offered a quick settlement:
- The insurance company wants to lock you into a settlement before you have a chance to discover any hidden injuries. Insurance companies know that a lot of car accident injuries don’t show up immediately.
- The insurance company knows that you have a solid claim and wants to pressure you into thinking you don’t. (You should suspect this especially if the adjuster spends time explaining why your case is weak before making a low-ball offer.)
Insurance companies are often willing to throw a little money at someone in exchange for a release form absolving the company of further responsibility. Since most people are rarely in a position where they have to negotiate for themselves, the tactic works.
Don’t allow an insurance company to take advantage of you after a car accident. Talk to an attorney to best protect your rights. For information on how we may be able to help, please continue to review our site.
