When you report a car accident, an insurance adjuster will look into it, then send you an offer (probably in writing) that spells out how much your insurer would pay you. You will likely get one offer for your car damage, and another offer for injuries (if you had any). Too often, a first offer comes back that is much too low for your claim.

In fact, if you have received your first offer from a car insurance claim adjuster, then the offer is probably too low. After all, an insurance company does not want to give you a large payout. An adjuster is going to play lowball so as to keep as much money possible for the company. And since the final settlement usually will come after negotiations have taken place, the adjuster will want a low starting point. At the point that you get this offer, it is up to you to agree to it, reject it altogether, or to start negotiating over the settlement. Before you make your decision, you will need to consult a car accident lawyer about several things.

First of all, you will need to consider how fair this initial offer is. This means that you will have to have a good understanding of your claim. If you are getting a fair amount from your insurer, then this will cover your medical bills, your car damage, and incidental costs, such as towing or getting a rental car. That part is straightforward; you should have receipts for all those expenses. But in many cases, you also need to know about your future expenses related to the accident as well. For example, if you have become disabled or injured permanently, or if you need months or years of physical therapy after a car crash, then you will need to project the medical bills you will have in the future. A fair amount of compensation will cover this too.

Secondly, not only do you need to know what your damages amount too, but you need to understand your insurance policy. This means knowing state laws too. For example, if you live in a state with no-fault car insurance, then you are likely to only get compensated for a limited amount of medical expenses and lost wages, unless you were severely injured. Whatever your insurance policy, if your claim is worth more than the limit on your coverage, then the company's offer will be lower than your actual damages.

That being said, this is a first offer after all. Usually, you can initiate negotiations with insurance. If you are going to reject this first offer, then do it in writing. Calculate for yourself an acceptable range of financial compensation, then at negotiations, the adjuster should make another offer. This is then your chance to present a counter offer, and of course, you want this to be closer to the high end of your acceptable range. Then give your reasons for getting more compensation; and of course, your range should be reasonable. If you ask for too much in your offers, then you could undermine your own claim.

Of course, it would be ideal to have a car accident lawyer who can negotiate on your behalf, since he or she will have previous experience in getting a fair amount from a stingy insurance company. Even before you pursue negotiations, you can ask the insurance company to give you a few days to think over their offer. It would be in your best interests to call a car accident attorney to see whether you could get a bigger settlement this way, or if you should just accept the initial offer.