Hi all – my husband was hit by a car while he was biking in a bike lane in broad daylight. Luckily he walked away with minor injuries. The woman who hit him was found at fault and her insurance (Progressive) offered a settlement to pay up to $10k in medical bills and $1,000 cash. We don't have his ER bill yet (he got a few x-rays) so we're not sure if this is a fair offer. Any advice? Thanks in advance.
Settlement offer – is this fair?
byu/Helpful_Preference54 inInsurance
Posted by Helpful_Preference54
16 Comments
You should get an attorney
Don’t settle until all medical visits are completed and billed. The settlement is fair if the medical bills are 10k or under. but a follow-up visit may be needed and if you settle, then it will not be covered.
You should talk to an attorney. Many will give you a free initial consultation and will take their cases on a contingency basis.
If he’s not still treating you could probably ask for a bit more but it’s pretty in line. Er bill with a few X-rays won’t cost 10k
Don’t sign anything and don’t settle yet. Hold. Off. That is an abysmal offer.
Need more details.
What were the injuries? What’s the prognosis? Any permanence? What did the treatment look like? Is there any scarring? Which part of his body impacted the road?
Lots goes into injury evaluation. If he had a boo-boo on his knee or something and went to the ER to make sure nothing was broken then 1k seems reasonable. If he had additional treatment, scarring, etc then it might not be.
It really comes down to what you’re comfortable with.
Minor soft tissue injuries aren’t usually worth much. Think about how your claim would be viewed by a jury. Would a jury be sympathetic and believe you are owed more than what you’re being offered?
There’s no point in an attorney unless he wants to treat more. That sounds like a first offer. You can negotiate that, but I’d try to get the ER bill amount first to be sure $10k is enough.
Definitely wouldn’t settle until you see the ER bill.
I would almost always refuse the first offer.
ER bill, lost wages, bike, helmet.. that’s probably more than $10k and $1k cash..
No, not at all. There could be some long term sequelae. Glad to hear that he is okay.
Did you get their policy limits yet? Without that you can’t make a judgement.
When was the accident? How can you settle without knowing the bills? Allstate tried to offer me less than my medical bills after I was rear ended at a light. They dragged out paying me for 3 years. Took it to a judge. I only had one we visit and one follow up pcp visit.
Pain and suffering. How does he feel about biking now? Does he lose sleep? Etc. Loss of life enjoyment activities is also compensable.
Lawyer.
This is the standard issue crap settlement.
Go through a lawyer. They’ll take 1/3rd of the settlement but you’ll more likely than not get much more in the end. They’ll also guide you better.
Question, if your medical bills were covered by insurance and you only paid co-pays, are you still entitled for reimbursement of the entire cost? Seems insurance would only pay you for the actual costs you incurred.
Insurance companies don’t take unrepresented parties seriously. Retain counsel on contingency fee which means your husband pays nothing unless he wins.