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Tue 7 Sep, 2004 12:27 pm
I've been trying to educate myself about this, but some personal interaction might help.
My wife was involved in a serious auto accident and suffered a broken rib and other less severe injuries. In fact, the passenger sitting next to my wife was unconscious briefly and bleeding from the face-the first thing my wife thought was that she had been killed.
The other driver was at fault and was charged by SHP. Both we and the other driver have the same insurance company.
Our vehicle was totalled and they have settled on that. The other parties insurance policy is taking care of our medical bills (we are told so anyway.)
Regarding the pain and suffering amount - what is the yardstick on which to base the amount offered to us? I've read that a usual formula is to multiply the amount of the medical bills by a number between 1.5 and 5, depending on the severity of the accident, permanent or disfiguring injuries, etc.
Is that accurate and does it apply across the industry? Would it apply in North Carolina?
The adjuster has already given us a figure which we thought was very low and we didn't accept.
Contact an attorney in your state in order to pursue this claim; these are standard questions for him or her. Insurance companies almost always low-ball pro se plaintiffs because, well, they can. Get a lawyer and chances are good that the offer will be increased.
Keep in mind that the payout by the insurer may increase. It may however not increase enough to offset the amount paid to your representative. Be very clear how the representative is to be paid.
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