Don't take the first offer after a car wreck!

Just because you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident doesn’t mean you have to take whatever the insurance company first offers you. In fact, just that situation is not in your best interest. You may feel vulnerable because the medical bills are mounting up, you’re hurt and the insurance company is offering some money right away. And, of course, you want to get on with your life and get the interruption of an auto wreck out of the way. But, don’t fall for the first offer of money. It’s likely a trap.

Soon after a car accident, and sometimes for months depending on the nature of the injuries, it’s impossible to know the full extent of your personal injuries or how long a full recovery will take. Insurance company adjusters are experienced and trained to take advantage of an injury victim’s need for money. Often they make a quick lowball settlement offer. Sometimes in your first or second conversation with them. Insurance adjusters hope you’re desperate and will snatch up anything rather than wait for the full picture to develop and demand what you really deserve.

Fast relatively small settlements may include an enticing offer to pay more on down the road, particularly in cases where fault is clearly on the other driver. This is a trap.

 

Once a settlement release is signed by you, it’s impossible to go back and ask for more money. That’s the case even if you later learn your injuries are more severe than first thought or your medical bills turn out to be more than anyone thought.

Tim Gilpin at Gilpin Law has been helping injury victims for over 34 years. That experience tells him that it can take months for a car or truck wreck victim to know the full nature of the required medical care or, maybe, if a surgery is needed. Even in simpler injury cases, it takes some time to know how much the medical bills will finally be. The first weeks or months after an auto accident or truck crash should be spent finding out the extent of the injury and getting the needed care. Diagnostic testing, including x-rays, MRI and CT scans, often are not ordered for weeks after a car wreck. Taking an insurance company’s first offer at the beginning often is a disaster for injury victims.

Agreeing to a quick low ball settlement can cost an injury victim thousands of dollars needed for medical care and lost income. Experienced and skilled motor vehicle accident attorneys, like Tim Gilpin of Gilpin Law, rely on years of handling just these cases, and reputable medical experts, to know the nature and extent of your injuries and estimate costs of future care. Tim Gilpin looks out for the best interests of his injury clients and ensures they get the settlement they deserve.

 Initial consultation is always free and any fee is dependent on a recovery.