Bluestein Attorneys | Blog

Whether you've been involved in a car wreck, have been bitten by a dog, were injured by a defective product, or you've been subjected to some other form of Personal Injury, odds are good insurance companies will end up involved when trying to recover the costs associated with treatment and recovery.

Quite often, the initial settlement offer from an insurance company will be significantly less than the final costs associated with medical treatment and time off work. It's worth it to prepare before discussing specific monetary amounts to ensure you're in the best possible position to negotiate a personal injury settlement.

Let's walk through the settlement negotiation steps.

While many collisions between vehicles involve minimal or fairly easily repaired damage, sometimes the damage to the car will be so extensive that your insurance company will declare the car totaled.

Your vehicle will be determined to be a "total loss" following a collision, single-car accident, or other damaging event either if it is unrepairable, or if the cost of repairs would exceed a certain percentage of the value of the car. 

If that's the case, your insurance company will prepare a claim settlement, payable to the owner of the vehicle, that is meant to reflect the value of the car at the time of the collision.

If the value of the settlement is significantly lower than the actual value of your car, you do not have to accept the settlement.

If you can prove a discrepancy between your car's true value and the claim settlement offered by your insurance company, you may be able to receive a larger settlement more in line with your expectations.

We have a few steps to take when proving your car's value to your insurance company after a total loss: