After a serious accident, it’s natural to want closure. Medical bills pile up, work becomes difficult and insurance adjusters apply pressure to plaintiffs to “wrap things up quickly.” But in Tennessee, settling a personal injury claim too early can cost injured people far more than they realize.
In general, it benefits only defendants to settle cases quickly. Never plaintiffs.
What’s the rush?
Insurance companies move fast for a reason. Adjusters begin investigating immediately, reviewing police reports, medical records and witness statements to determine the claim’s worth. Once they have enough information to make an offer, negotiations begin.
Unfortunately, this is often long before the injured person has finished medical treatment.
That timing matters. Accepting settlements before reaching maximum medical improvement can leave plaintiffs without everything they need to fully recover in every way. But once the check is cashed, the case against the defendants is closed.
Plaintiffs under pressure to settle
Insurance companies know that most people want to put their wrecks and injuries behind them so they can move on to better days ahead. So they order claims representatives to wave checks in claimants’ faces, hoping they will bite the line.
The truth is that serious injuries don’t immediately resolve. There may be several surgeries necessary to get victims as close to whole as possible after their client injured them in an auto accident. Settling too soon closes the door on future medical payments for lingering, hard-to-resolve injuries. That can break the bank for plaintiffs.
Take time to heal
While plaintiffs recover physically and mentally from the accident damage, their legal team is hard at work building a strong case for maximum compensation from the liable parties. Learning more about your rights and responsibilities after a crash is a good idea.
