Long story short, we were at a red light. The driver behind me decided to go on the left turn only light and rear ended me. I had my wife and 3 kids in the back. My wife and I suffered "whiplash", minor damage to the car and a few kids crying from the sudden bump. It was a hard enough hit for me to feel it but not life threatening. Ended up not going to the hospital but went to urgent care instead.
It's been 2 months now, the car was repaired but we're still sore with a few aches and pains to the neck/back areas. The kids seem normal. The other persons insurance offered $250 each for me and my wife as an "inconvenience fee"
I don't want to get a lawyer, we're regular working class people. we both can't take a lot of time off work to pursue treatment 3x a week. What's the best way to renegotiate this as I don't see that being a fair number. I'm not looking to get rich. I just don't know what my options are at this point.
Rear ended with whole family in car
byu/unlikely-tomato5403 inInsurance
Posted by unlikely-tomato5403
3 Comments
I think you don’t accept their offer unless you think it’s fair. Don’t sign off on it. Come back with a number you think compensates you for your troubles.
I was broadsided in a hit and run that caused my car to spin and roll. I was trapped in the car for about 30 mins until firefighters could extricate me. The other driver turned himself in the next day. Besides paying for my car, which was totaled, they offered me $800. No way. I had neck and wrist issues as well as nightmares and a fear of driving for months. I finally settled at $3500. Part of that was in case I needed more treatment later. They will low-ball you in hopes you’ll just accept it.
I would advise following up with your family doctor about all the residual pain after two months before taking action on a potential settlement.
Without treatment for injuries, you aren’t going to get much as it’s not warranted. You have until the statute of limitations in your state to settle or file suit. You do want to make sure you’re fully healed before settling. If your injuries are very minor, requiring little to no treatment, you’ll actually wind up with less using a lawyer, assuming you can even get one to take you on, but nothing wrong with getting a free initial consultation. Be wary tho of any lawyer who wants to send you for ongoing treatment to a doctor/chiropractor he uses. Instead of getting more money from insurance, you can wind up actually paying out of pocket for them.
Bottom line, if you think you deserve more than what they’re offering, then make a counter offer but you’ll need to provide something to document why you think their offer is low.