A Guide to Negotiating Personal Injury Claim Settlement with an Insurer
If you recently involved in an accident or personal injury at the workplace, then you will agree with me that it sucks to get the right compensation for your injuries. You may be confused and have no clue on where to seek assistance with a personal injury claim settlement.
Dealing with an insurance company alone may take you a lot of time. In most cases, you may end up not getting the due compensation from your insurance if you lack bargaining power. Well, in this article, we give you some tips to help you negotiate for insurance claim settlement to increase your chances of getting the compensation as requested on your demand letter.
Find out what your personal injury claim is worth
The first step to improving your negotiation is knowing how much your claim is worth. Ideally, when you file for the claim, you should first have a settlement amount at the back of your mind to avoid exploitation by the insurance adjuster.
It helps if you do not let the insurance adjuster know the least amount you are willing to accept for the claim. This way, when the negotiation is a bit pressing, you will easily determine the amount you can finally land on and walk away contented.
Get ready for the test
Your insurance adjuster may read your mind and start playing some number games with you. For instance, he can ask you to accept a very low offer to find out if you really know what your claim is worth. When the insurance adjuster makes a first offer, whether the offer is low or high, you should not accept it.
Ideally, in case your insurance adjuster is offering you a more reasonable offer, you can proceed to make a counteroffer and lower the amount you are willing to take. This shows that you are more willing to bargain for a reasonable settlement.
Read the insurance adjuster’s mind
Sometimes the insurance adjuster will table a very low offer to find out what you are thinking. If the adjuster offers you a very low figure, you should ask them to justify the offer. While explaining to you why the offer is that low, you should take notes and respond to the issues the adjuster is raising.
Note that your insurance adjuster will only increase the offer if you sharpen your bargaining skills. For instance, after they give you some significant reasons to support the low offer, you should not rush to take the low offer. Instead, you can lower your demand a bit or wait for the adjuster to reply with another offer.
Stress on the emotional points
When replying to your demand letter, you should give some concrete reasons that support your offer. Specify some significant reasons why you believe the insurance company should agree to settle on your offer.
For instance, you can specify that the accident caused you some mental and social effects, that you spend a lot on your medication, and that the injury caused you a lot of pain, which resulted in permanent physical effects.
When you mention some emotional points on your demand letter, you must always support it with evidence. For instance, you can attach a picture of your smashed car or your body injury as proof of the pain you underwent.
Seal the deal with a confirmation letter
Once you agree on fair or reasonable terms with the insurance adjuster, you must ensure you finalize everything with a confirmation letter.
The letter should specify the figure you have agreed on, and the date you expect to receive settlement documents from the insurance company.
Conclusion
When you negotiate with an insurance adjuster for personal injury compensation, you should never settle for less. Instead, you can use the tips we have shared in this article to improve your chances of getting a reasonable offer.
For additional Information Read:
Top 7 Questions to Ask Your Florida Car Accident Lawyer
6 Important Questions to Ask When Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney
