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Never Take the First Settlement Offer from an Insurance Company in an Accident Case

At The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker we hear all too often about accident victims taking the first insurance settlement offer they get. They may do this because they need the money right away, because they trust the insurance company to be fair with them, or because they think they can’t afford a lawsuit. The bad news is, making the decision to take a settlement without talking with a personal injury attorney first can jeopardize thousands of dollars a victim is entitled to.

To learn more about why you should never take this first offer, contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000. We can provide a free legal consultation so you’ll know if you should take the offer or fight for what you are owed.

The insurance companies aren’t being mean – it’s just the way their business works

The bottom line is that, no matter what they may say, an insurance company is not in business to protect accident victims. They are in business to make money for their shareholders. Their goal is lawyers to find the minimum amount they can pay to get the victim to sign on the dotted line.

They may be nice and they may genuinely care about you. They may offer the higher end of a range of options available to them but they are not thinking, “What does this person deserve and how can I get it for them?” That is what a personal injury attorney is thinking for their clients.

One example of a potential trick from an insurance company

There are many ways insurance companies can create convincing arguments that you should accept their offer. One common one is to talk to you about models. They may use a modeling program to discuss how long the average person takes to recover from an injury, or how much income they will lose if they cannot work.

Averages are not relevant to your case. California law requires that the victim be “taken as they are.” This means that a 90-year-old with a hip condition can still use an insurance company for additional damages caused by a car accident. It also means that if you are twenty-years-old, the insurance company’s “averages” are not relevant to you as you are younger and more fit than the average person.

There is an easy way to find out if you have a case and if you can afford to bring it

First, contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation. We will go over the basics of your case. We will determine if you have a case and what it is likely worth. If you do have grounds for a case then we will take it on a contingency basis. What does this mean for you? It means you pay nothing until we win your case and if we do not win your case you do not know a penny. It is always worth it to call and find out what your options are.