Always Consult a Lawyer Before Accepting a Settlement Offer
When the at-fault party’s insurance adjustor calls and offers you a settlement after a serious Orange County truck accident, your first instinct may be to heave a big sigh of relief.
You may be thinking, “I will finally have a way to pay these mounting medical bills!”
While the settlement offer may seem like a good one, it is important to determine how long that money will last you compared to the severity of your injuries caused by the truck accident.
For example, let’s say that after the accident, you were transported by ambulance to the hospital, where you stayed for five days. The ambulance bill and hospital charges totaled $20,000. At your follow-up with your family doctor, you are told that you will need to go to physical therapy for your neck and back injuries, which cost approximately $300 per visit. You are instructed to go three times a week for twelve weeks, which will cost $10,800.
Two weeks into your physical therapy, the at-fault truck driver’s insurance company calls you and asks you how much your medical bills are. You tell him $30,800. The adjustor offers you $35,000 to settle your claim, with the additional $4,000 to cover pain and suffering.
This sounds like a great deal, and you agree by signing the final release. That is until the twelve weeks of therapy is over and it hasn’t helped. Now you need back surgery and will be off of work for at least eight weeks. You try and collect more money from the insurance company, since the surgery is directly related to the accident that the truck driver caused, but it’s too late. You already agreed to a final settlement, and now you are stuck footing the bill for the surgery, as well as for your lost wages.
That is why the Southern California injury lawyers at Russell & Lazarus urge anyone hurt in a truck accident to contact us before signing anything from the insurance adjustor. We would be happy to review it—for free—to help you avoid making a mistake that could haunt you for the rest of your life. Call us today at (949) 851-0222 or fill out our online form.