Insurance adjusters often offer a low initial settlement to save their company from losing time and money in your car crash claim. However, contesting their offer without assessing the facts of your case may do you more harm than good.
While you should not take it if you know it is not within a reasonable range of the damages you sustained, you must also not jump into filing a lawsuit before necessary discussions or negotiations.
Negotiate for what you deserve
The minimum insurance coverage that you must have as a North Carolina driver includes bodily injury for one person at $30,000, property damage at $25,000, and bodily injury for two or more individuals at $60,000.
Based on the circumstances of your case, you must first check the limits of your policy. Then, review what factors possibly influenced the low offer. The insurance adjuster might have insufficient details or evidence to capture the full picture of your case.
For example, North Carolina is a contributory negligence state, meaning you can’t recover compensation if you are to blame in any way, and you may be partially to blame for the collision. The insurance adjuster may also not know the severity of your injuries because they do not have enough information about the medical procedures you took. Further, they may not be aware of the extent of the accident’s impact on your mental and emotional well-being.
Once you know where the insurance adjuster is coming from, you have positioned yourself better to send a response letter. You can supply the missing details, such as police and medical reports, for a more comprehensive view of your claim. You can also include a counteroffer in your letter, stating why you deserve a higher amount.
Negotiation is an art of persuasion
There may be a series of back-and-forth negotiations after your counteroffer. However, insurance companies are usually not the kind to back down easily. After all, their adjusters have training to work on favorable outcomes. Since negotiation takes some skillful persuasion, you need all the help you can get to protect your interests. Your legal counsel can provide valuable insights and expertise so that you receive the fair settlement you deserve.
