Personal Injury Law

Were You Offered a Low Settlement for Your Virginia Car Accident Claim? Find Out Why.

By Ben Glass

If you are injured in a Virginia car accident, isn't it reasonable to assume that you will be offered a fair settlement from the insurance company? You would think so, but that is not what has been happening recently.

It appears as though the major insurance companies have gone back to offering 'lowball' settlements to Virginia accident victims. There was a time period, which was in the recent past, where insurers were making reasonable offers in serious, clear liability cases. Things have changed.

I believe there are a couple of explanations for this shift within the insurance industry. First, just about every business is struggling in this economy, including insurance companies. As a result, the insurers are trying to hold on to their money longer, which is basically forcing Virginia auto accident victims to hire lawyers, if they want to be treated fairly. In the long run, this practice will probably hurt the insurance companies, because for the most part, when people hire accident attorneys, they get more money in their settlements than those who attempt it on their own.

The second reason I think may be causing these unreasonable insurance settlement offers has to do with the turnover rate at some of the insurance companies. Experienced adjusters have been laid off, leaving younger, novice adjusters to handle the workload. Many of these 'young guns' try to 'make a mark' by attempting to force people to accept low settlements.

What does that mean for you if you have been injured in an accident? It is going to be tougher to get a fair settlement without the help of an experienced personal injury attorney.

Full post as published by Northern Virginia Personal Injury Lawyer on February 12, 2010 (boomark / email).