How Does The Settlement Work After A Car Accident?

Most car accident cases, even the severe ones, are tried to settle outside course because of the extensive time and money consumption in court trials. So in most cases, the parties decide to make a fair and agreeable settlement from both ends, but if they cannot negotiate, they must file a lawsuit. 

In most settlement cases, the parties fix a meeting in the presence of their lawyers, and each party will put forward their terms and conditions and negotiate them until a fair settlement is placed on the table. The lawyer’s role here is to ensure you are not fooled or tricked by the other party or their lawyer and given fair compensation for your losses. 

So, if you are involved in a car accident and planning to make a settlement make sure you contact an experienced Seattle car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Having a lawyer by your side is essential in a settlement case to avoid any mistakes or unnecessary complications. 

Nevertheless, here is all you need to know about how settlement works in car accident cases. 

Demand letter 

A demand letter is where the injured person will detail everything about the accident, like the injuries and damages they sustained. For example, the medical treatments they are taking and how much the cost is. Moreover, they secure sufficient funds for future remedies and other damages like loss of income. 

When creating a demand letter, remember that this is your golden opportunity to ask for fair-priced compensation from the insurance company. So to make sure you are granted your claim, you must make a strong case with all the necessary evidence. 

The format of your demand letter should have an organized layout. First, you must mention the details of your car accident, like what led to the accident followed by the situation describing the accident, and lastly a detailed description of the accident scene. 

After that, you must mention the medical diagnosis and treatment you had to undergo post-accident. At the bottom of the letter, you must say all the expenses you bared for medical treatments and repairs. Just make sure you provide a detailed breakup of all the costs. In most cases, the amount mentioned in the demand letter is more than the actual expense, which gives the attorney room for negotiation. 

Negotiation after the first offer made by the insurance company 

Once the insurance company receives your demand letter, they will check everything and review the letter with the documents provided. Usually, the initial offer made by the insurance company is relatively less than what you would expect. 

However, this is a general tactic used to save the company’s money, so do not settle for it and ask for an increase.