How to negotiate with insurance company after car accident; It can be a stressful experience to be involved in an automobile accident. It’s important to understand the basic steps in negotiating with your insurance company after you’ve been involved in an accident, as well as how to get the best settlement possible.
Gather Evidence
In order to negotiate with an insurance company, you need to gather evidence. There are a few things to consider:
- Get the police report for your vehicle and for any witnesses who may have been at the accident scene.
- Request an accident report from the insurance company that insured the other driver’s vehicle.
- Request copies of medical records from all healthcare providers involved in your treatment following the accident. If possible, ask them to include their billing codes so that you can provide this documentation to your own healthcare provider later on if needed when filing a claim against your PIP coverage limits (if applicable).
What’s Your Injury Worth?
When negotiating with an insurance company, it is important to remember that they will not pay you what your injury is worth. The best way to find out if your settlement offer is reasonable or not is by doing research on what other people in similar situations have received in settlements.
You can start by looking at settlements in your area and asking friends and family members who have been injured what their injuries were worth. You can also look up the amount of money that the insurance company has paid out for similar cases in the past using online resources such as the database provided by Nolo (www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/personal-injury-settlements). This will give you an idea of how much you should be asking for based on publicly available information about previous settlements made by companies like yours
The Initial Offer
The initial offer is not always the final offer. The insurance company will make an initial offer, but this does not mean it is the only offer you will receive. It’s a starting point for negotiations and often low. The insurance company will use this initial offer to gauge your reaction and decide how much of their policy limit they should spend on settling with you.
The insurance company wants to settle quickly, which means they want to minimize their costs by paying as little as possible while still being perceived as fair by the claimant (you). In fact, if they settle too high too early in negotiations then they risk losing credibility with other claimants who may try to negotiate similar claims down because they feel like “the guy next door got paid more than me!” or worse yet “they are overpaying people on purpose now!”
Gather Information
As you can’t negotiate with an insurance company unless you have a clear idea of the cost of repairs, it is crucial that you do your homework before meeting with them. Before any negotiations begin, find out how much the car repair will cost and how long it will take to get done. Be sure to speak directly with the auto body shop; they are often more forthcoming than the insurance company because they want their customer happy enough to recommend them in future.
Once you have all necessary information about costs, start by asking for everything related to your case: police report, accident report (if there was one), medical records from doctors or hospitals where treatment took place after the accident happened etc…
Counter the Insurance Company’s Argument
- If the insurance company tries to lowball you, tell them that you’re going to get a second opinion from another doctor.
- If they say that your injuries aren’t as bad as you think, ask them for medical documentation of their claims.
Make a Demand Letter
You should make a Demand Letter to the Insurance Company and let them know the amount of compensation you are seeking.
The demand letter is usually made by an attorney, but if you do not have one, there are templates for this online that show how to write one. This document should include:
- The amount of compensation you are seeking from the insurance company
- The specific injuries that were sustained in the accident (e.g., broken bones)
- The date of the accident
- The date of your last medical treatment
- The date of your last doctor’s appointment
Don’t Accept the First Settlement Offer – Counter It!
Don’t accept the first offer. You should counter it with a demand for a better settlement. You can be polite but firm by saying something like, “I have had several car accidents in my life, and I know that this is not a fair sum for all the damages that have been done to my vehicle. The repair bill alone will cost thousands of dollars; what about medical bills for me and my passenger? What about lost wages from missing work because we were injured?”
If you are still not happy with their offer, don’t take it! Instead, give them another chance by telling them that you need more time to think about their proposal before making any decisions (and make sure they leave this second meeting with your contact information). If they keep coming back with lower offers each time you meet with them – or if they refuse to negotiate at all – then tell them no thanks!
Finalize the Negotiation Process When You’re Ready
Once you and the insurance company have reached an agreement, you can finalize it. If your case is not complicated and you have a good lawyer, this process should be easy. The main things to keep in mind are:
- Do not accept the first offer. Insurance companies want to settle as quickly as possible, but they tend to lowball their offers because they know that most people will accept them without hesitation. It’s important not to do this yourself, you may miss out on claiming any additional funds if you do so!
- Consider how much money your injuries are worth before settling on a final settlement amount with the insurance company; remember that even if you don’t need surgery now or later down the line (which could be expensive), there could still be consequences from being injured such as loss of wages due to missed work days or reduced productivity due to pain/discomfort etc..
Learn Car Accident Claims Basics, Car Accident Settlements Factors and More
You will have to know about these basic facts before you start negotiating with the insurance company.
- Car accident settlements factors:
There are many car accident settlement factors that an insurance company considers before settling a case. These include:
- Property damage value of your vehicle (the cost of repairing)
- Wage loss and medical expenses incurred by you and other parties involved in the accident
- Future anticipated lost earnings due to disability or permanent injuries suffered in the car accident, if any.
Conclusion
Remember, the most important thing is to gather evidence and know your worth. If you’re not getting anywhere with the insurance company and they refuse to give you fair compensation, then it may be time to hire an attorney. The attorneys who specialize in car accident claims and can help you get back on track after an accident.
