When Is a Settlement Fair after a Car Accident in Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Across South Florida?
After you’ve been injured or suffered property damage in a car accident and have filed a claim for compensation with the insurance company, you may be pleasantly surprised to hear back that the insurer has agreed to pay you compensation for the accident. Or you may hear from an insurance adjuster out of the blue offering to pay you a settlement right now to resolve any potential claims you may have. Whatever the circumstances of the insurance company’s settlement offer, you may not be sure whether the amount of money the insurer has offered you represents a fair or good amount. That’s why it’s always helpful to have experienced legal representation on your side who can advise you about the suitability of any settlement offer you receive from the insurance company.
At Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., our South Florida car accident attorneys have decades of combined legal experience helping car accident victims obtain financial compensation from insurance companies. Our legal team will use their expertise to review the facts and evidence in your case to evaluate offers of compensation from the insurance company and provide you with direct, honest advice about whether the offer provides you with fair value for your claim.
If you have questions about what kind of settlement you might be entitled to after you’ve been involved in a car accident in South Florida, contact Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. for a free initial case review to discuss the details of your claim with one of our knowledgeable car accident lawyers.
Factors That Affect the Value of a Settlement
If you’ve suffered serious injuries or property damage after a car accident in South Florida, you may be entitled to pursue an insurance claim against the at-fault driver, or against uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage you may have available to you. While some car accident claims do end up going to trial, the vast majority end in a settlement. Although most car accident settlements do not reach the maximum level of compensation that a jury might award at trial, there are many factors that affect the value of a settlement reached between an injured party and the at-fault party or an insurer, including:
- The at-fault party’s liability coverage limits, or your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage limits
- The allocation of fault for the accident, including assigning fault to two or more parties or assigning part of the blame for the crash to you
- The strength of the evidence proving your claim for liability and proving the extent of the losses you are claiming compensation for
- The severity of your injuries, the duration and extent of treatment required, and the impacts your injuries have on your personal and professional life (including whether you may be left with permanent disfigurement or disability)
- Your age and relative health
- The verdicts that juries in your area typically award for similar car accident cases
- The negotiating skill of your attorney and your attorney’s reputation and track record in court
In the end, the size of a settlement will be a balance between the extent of your losses, the amount of money available to compensate you, the time and monetary expense of going to trial, and the relative risk to each party of a more favorable or unfavorable outcome at trial
How Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. Will Fight to Help You Get a Good Settlement Offer After a Car Accident in South Florida
When you choose Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. to represent you in your car accident claim, you can trust that our South Florida car accident attorneys will leave no stone unturned in trying to secure a favorable settlement offer for you. Our legal team will work diligently to build a strong, effective, case on your behalf, investigating the car accident to secure evidence we can use to prove who was at fault for the crash, working with expert witnesses in accident reconstruction, medicine, and finance to provide persuasive testimony in support of your claim, and aggressively negotiating with insurance company representatives and defense attorneys to try to reach a settlement offer that provides you with fair compensation for your injuries and losses. We will use our experience handling car accident cases to evaluate any settlement offer you receive and give you an honest assessment of your legal rights and options.
Contact Our Firm for a Free Case Evaluation to Learn More About How We Help Clients Pursue Fair and Full Settlements for Car Accidents in South Florida
After you’ve been injured in a car accident in South Florida, reach out to Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss the value of your car accident claim and to learn more about how our firm can help you secure a good settlement offer from the at-fault party or insurance company that provides you with the financial compensation you deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions about What Is a Good Settlement Offer for a Car Accident in South Florida?
It is unlikely that the initial offer of compensation you receive from the insurance company will provide you with full compensation for your injuries and losses from an accident. You may not yet fully understand the extent of your injuries or the losses you will incur as a result when you receive an initial offer from the insurance company. In addition, many insurance companies often try a lowball settlement offer with the initial offer, hoping that an injured party will accept the settlement and release the insurance company from further liability.
It is advisable that you avoid giving a written or oral statement to an insurance adjuster, especially if you have not yet had the opportunity to speak to a car accident lawyer. Insurance companies often want to take statements from injured parties to try to use something in the statement against the party when they file a claim for compensation.