Insurance settlement too low?

[johnathan1]

I was rear ended a while ago in my mom's car, while she was sitting in the passenger seat...damages to the BMW were around $7k, and we both were going to physical therapy/chiropractor for a while. Well, after waiting for quite a while, the insurance company finally made a settlement offer for pain and suffering, of $3,300 for my mother, and $1,100 for me. I'm not sure, but I think this sounds really low, especially considering all of the pain we had to endure. I'm really inexperienced when it comes to dealing with insurance companies... can anyone give me some advice?

Thanks.

 

[SupraMario]

They will try to fuck you out of any money they owe.
My dad totaled his car and was in the ER 6+ months ago, we are still dealing with them trying to get them to pay medical bills.
No advice, but call call call, and bug the shit out of them.

 

[johnathan1]

Well, so far they have been good about paying bills, the car has been repaired, and the medical bills have been paid, but I just think their offer for pain and suffering is a bit low. I'm not sure how I would go about demanding more money?

 

[MKIIINA]

its going to be dependant on what kind of injuries you sustained. If it was something small like burns from an airbag or cuts from flying glass its going to be alot less than if there are broken bones, and less than if you have some kind of permanant injury.

That said the first offer is going to be low and they make money when they pay you less. Keep that in mind

 

[savannahashlee]

if it wasnt your mom's fault, you should have automatically hired a personal injury lawyer.. majority of the time, they dont get paid unless you do.. they will also know if your state has a "cap" on how much you can sue for.. Also, take in consideration, this stuff can take up to a year to settle.. When my mom and i were in a wreck in Dec 2004.. we hired an attorney in Janurary 2005.. We never seen a settlement (Which was capped thanks to the state of Oregon) at $15,000 until Feburary 06.. A month after my mom passed away.. It is a long haul, but you'll get more money in the long run if you hire an attorney to push back..

 

[Mk3runner]

insurance people are bastards when it comes to money.. either you owe them everything, or their gonna pay you jack. like others said. bitch and keep bitching till you get something better.

 

[GrimJack]

Biggest businesses in the world, in order:

Banking
Insurance
Real Estate

There is a reason why Insurance is the second largest business on the planet, folks.

 

[Ckanderson]

when i got rear ended I ended up talking to a insurance guy on sf about it.

his tips scored me quite a bit of dough.

its not like I didnt deserve it though

 

[Wills7MGTE]

so the cars fixed, ur medical bills r taken care of yet you want more money on top of the couple k u both get? hmmmmmm and i wonder why insurance costs oooooo much money, ur shits taken care of and you got a little extra get over it

 

[johnathan1]

so the cars fixed, ur medical bills r taken care of yet you want more money on top of the couple k u both get? hmmmmmm and i wonder why insurance costs oooooo much money, ur shits taken care of and you got a little extra get over it

I'm the other person who was in the car when it was rear ending and I am posting under Johnathan's name. Here it is: the law states simply that you get compensation for pain and suffering. Period. That is the law. The reason insurance costs are so high isn't because of settlement costs, its because of dumb ass drivers who keep running into other people causing damage and creating the injuries that result in pain and suffering. I won't get over it until they pay for the pain and suffering I have experienced. I am entitled to that just like anyone else would be, and that is the law. You don't like it? Write to the president. :slap:

 

[savannahashlee]

also, insurance premiums are so high because of 2 reasons:
1) People driving without insurance and/or licenses, hitting people and taking off...
2) People who are in this country illegally being able to obtain drivers licenses and See Above

 

[DreamerTheresa]

Insurance premiums are so high because of 2 reasons:
1) People driving without insurance and/or licenses, hitting people and taking off...
2) People who are in this country illegally being able to obtain drivers licenses and See Above

DING DING DING!



Adjuster, where are you?!

 

[suprahero]

Is that why his name is Adjuster? Is he an insurance adjuster..............

 

[Sawbladz]

Is that why his name is Adjuster? Is he an insurance adjuster..............

You catch on fast...

 

[suprahero]

You catch on fast...

My name is Suprahero, but last I checked, I couldn't fly..............:biglaugh:

I'm guessing, you don't look like a set of sawbladz either..........:icon_bigg

 

[DonS1mpson]

I'm the other person who was in the car when it was rear ending and I am posting under Johnathan's name. Here it is: the law states simply that you get compensation for pain and suffering. Period. That is the law. The reason insurance costs are so high isn't because of settlement costs, its because of dumb ass drivers who keep running into other people causing damage and creating the injuries that result in pain and suffering. I won't get over it until they pay for the pain and suffering I have experienced. I am entitled to that just like anyone else would be, and that is the law. You don't like it? Write to the president. :slap:

He has got a point there. You've gotten the car repaired, your medical bills paid and what I'd say is a sizeable bit of compensation and yet you're after more?

I think we all agree that you should never have to pay for the privilege of being in an accident, but in the same way you should never be paid for being in one. You should be compensated for what ever time you and your mom had missed off of work, and that's it.

$10,000 certainly isn't going to make the pain go away any better than $1,100 will.

 

[GrimJack]

No, that's not the way the system works.

Under your logic, the gal who loses both legs gets paid for his time off work, and that's it. Never mind the fact that her quality of life will never be the same. The guy who loses his testes basically gets nothing, despite the fact that he can never have a family.

Same goes for pain and suffering. If someone is in an accident and it causes problems that cannot be fixed, leaving the victim in pain for the rest of their life, they are compensated for this. If they are in pain for a finite period of time, they are compensated to a smaller extent.

The insurance company will try to pay the victim as little as possible, the victim will try to get as much as possible, and usually they will agree to something in the middle.

 

[johnathan1]

Thanks GrimJack. I wasn't sure how to respond to the stupidity in this thread...you did a fine job of explaining how it works.

 

[DonS1mpson]

Thanks GrimJack. I wasn't sure how to respond to the stupidity in this thread...you did a fine job of explaining how it works.

I wouldn't call it stupidity mate. You asked for our opinions, and you got ones that you don't agree with. If you had already decided you deserve more money why did you bother post this thread?

 

[johnathan1]

I wouldn't call it stupidity mate. You asked for our opinions, and you got ones that you don't agree with. If you had already decided you deserve more money why did you bother post this thread?

Well, in my opinion, what you and Wills7M said makes you both look very ignorant. Sorry.

I posted this thread, because I wasn't sure how to go about making a counter-demand, since I have never dealt with insurance before. Just asking for some advice is all.