To Accept or Not Accept: What’s in Your Best Interest?

When should I accept an insurance company settlement from an auto accident? The answers are:

"retain and follow the professional advice of your experienced attorney"

and…

"almost never".

If you are involved in an auto accident due to the negligence of someone else, their insurance company may offer to settle your claim quickly. This offer will, likely, be a lump sum settlement and they will require your signature on a full release absolving them of any and all further liability. In other words, "take the money and go away… forever". You give up you right to pursue a lawsuit. No matter what they tell you, this is usually not in your best interest. Insurance companies are usually more concerned with their bottom line than in treating you fairly. An early offer is, usually, not commensurate with a victim’s injuries and/or the damages he/she has incurred.

If a settlment offered by an insurance company comes before your injuries are fully known, or can be fully identified, it is, most likely, inadequate. Why don’t they wait until the case and the injuries are more understood? Because the insurance company hopes that money NOW will entice you to accept the offer, even though it may be far less than what you need to make a full and complete recovery or pay for the long-term care that you may need.

As enticing as it may be, especially if you need compensation quickly, it may be in your best interest to avoid a accepting the offer. In order to make sure you are fairly compensated for your injuries, you need to avoid such a knee-jerk decision. Additionally, signing over your rights to pursue legal action can be detrimental, especially if the victim’s injuries are later found to be more extensive.

When the insurance company is quick to offer you a settlement following an auto accident that resulted in personal injury, and the settlement appears to be less than what may cover the full extent of your injuries, it is best to contact an experienced auto accident attorney. Don’t be taken advantage of by the insurance company. An experienced attorney can help you fight back and receive the compensation you deserve.

Lawsuit funding can also provide assistance when you are strapped for immediate cash. There is no need to accept the insurance company’s offer to settle out of court for a small percentage of what your case is worth. Lawsuit funding gives you the freedom to wait for your court settlement, fair compensation, and justice. If you are like many people who have been injured in an auto accident at no fault of your own and your savings are running low, but the bills just keep coming in, a lawsuit cash advance may be the perfect solution for you.

Mark Bello has thirty-three years experience as a trial lawyer and twelve years as an underwriter and situational analyst in the lawsuit funding industry. He is the owner and founder of Lawsuit Financial Corporation which helps provide legal finance cash flow solutions and consulting when necessities of life litigation funding is needed by plaintiffs involved in pending, personal injury litigation. Bello is a Justice Pac member of the American Association for Justice, Sustaining and Justice Pac member of the Michigan Association for Justice, Business Associate of the Florida, Tennessee, and Colorado Associations for Justice, a member of the American Bar Association as well as their ABA Advisory Committee, the State Bar of Michigan and the Injury Board.