Should you accept insurance companies’ offer after car accidents?
Many Florida car accidents will only result in minor damage and/or minor injuries, but even those accidents can create inconveniences that people would rather not deal with if they can avoid it. However, many car accidents do result in significant damage to the vehicles and people can suffer significant injuries as well. These injuries can create more than simple inconveniences. They can create major issues for people’s lives both physically and financially.
That is why every driver in Florida is also required to have auto insurance for their vehicles. Insurance is there to pay for the damage to vehicles and for the medical bills people incur as a result of the accident. The general process for insurance claims is that an adjuster will investigate to determine fault and also the extent of the damages. They will then provide an offer to fix the damages and pay for the medical bills. Sometimes these offers are made relatively quickly after an accident though.
Why waiting before accepting is beneficial
Due to the nature of injuries suffered in car accidents, people may not know the full extent of the medical treatment that they will need. Also, insurance companies are in the business to make money, so they may minimize the amount of damage that they believe was caused by the accident.
It is important to know that people do not need to accept the insurance company’s first offer. People should wait until they know the full extent of their injuries and have a good understanding from their medical professionals how much additional medical treatment they will need to treat the injuries. It may also be wise to go and get a few different estimates for the damage to the vehicle. Mechanics may find problems the adjuster missed or know that certain parts are more expensive than the adjuster claims.
Unfortunately, there are many car accidents in Florida each year and people are not always lucky enough to have minor injuries and minor damage to their vehicles. Insurance companies are there to pay for all the damages, but they may claim there are exceptions in the insurance policy and deny claims for various reasons. This can be very frustrating as people are simply trying to put their life back together. Experienced attorneys understand how insurance companies operate and may be a useful resource during negotiations.
