How To Respond When A Trucker's Insurance Provider Makes An Early Settlement Offer

14 May 2020
 Categories: , Blog


A commercial truck insurance company will often do everything possible to avoid paying a settlement to the survivor of an accident involving their policyholder. However, some commercial truck companies will realize that they will eventually be sued and will take the strategy of making a settlement offer early on. For someone who's life has been turned upside down by a truck accident, it's tempting to accept the offer so you can begin paying your bills. However, you may find yourself in a worse financial position for doing so.

Talk to a Lawyer First

The best way to negotiate a better settlement is to contact a truck accident attorney. There are numerous factors that can affect the size of your settlement, and there may be justification to ask for compensation that extends beyond medical bills and pain and suffering.

For example, if your truck accident attorney believes that the truck driver behaved in a malicious manner, you may be able to seek punitive damages in addition to damages for medical expenses and automobile repairs.

Go to the Doctor

While your truck attorney should help you with much of the process, there is a lot you can also do yourself. You must visit the doctor, receive a full medical diagnosis, and follow all of your doctor's instructions.

Not following the doctor's instructions will make it more difficult to negotiate with a commercial insurance provider because they will use this as a reason to reduce the settlement amount or may even refuse to settle with you at all. If this happens, you may be forced to take the case to court. 

Calculate the Damages

Some injuries are simple and easy to calculate. As horrible as a broken bone is, you may find it easy to calculate your overall expenses. However, certain types of injuries are very complicated and can require years of treatment and physical therapy.

For example, if you have suffered from burn injuries after your vehicle catches on fire, you may need to undergo several procedures to aid in your recovery. If you develop an infection, you may require even more expensive treatments. If you suffer a spinal injury, your recovery will be very slow and you may be entitled to lost wages in addition to medical expenses.

Even if you believe you have fully recovered from an injury, you may discover issues down the line that require further treatment. For this reason, it's essential to aggressively seek the compensation you deserve with the help of a truck accident attorney.

To learn more, contact a truck accident attorney.


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