Car accident

After having spent 24 years in Insurance claims I think I can put you on the right track here.

Assuming you were driving your own car, the property damage claim would have included the damages to your car, the towing of the car to the shop and the rental car. So you will not be able to use those amounts to prop up your Bodily injury claim. Also some states (don't know where you are) will allow for diminishing value claims. What this means, you can take your car to a dealer and ask the appraiser/Manager what they would sell the car for with out any history of damage. Then show them what was fixed and the estimate and ask how much the value is affected now. NOTE DONT ask what they would give you for the car. That is not where you want to be. You want to know what they would sell the car for if they had it. Ask if they have one similar and use that as a base.

Now on the BI claim. You are going to use the following lost or incurred expenses, Medical bills, transportation to and from Dr. Lost wages to include any vacation you had to use so that you could go to the Dr etc., extra expenses incurred (for example paying someone to cut grass or wash clothes etc anything you had to pay someone else to do that you would normally do yourself). Then you can add for any perm. disability rating, here ask the Dr. if you are going to be partially disable or have any loss of function, i.e. if you hurt your back then you may have lost a % of your capacity to do things. Then you have "Pain and suffering” this is not an item where anyone can really put any logical numbers. It depends on each person as to how they see it. This is where the "adjusting or negotiating" comes in.

In some states they will also allow the spouse to have a claim for loss of consortium or loss of services.


Good luck and Always keep them on their toes. Never tell them you won't get an attorney. If they think they have you all warm then they will feel you will take what they offer. Let them know you are talking with one and that you have them on standby. If they jerk you around tell them you feel they are participating in un fair claims practices and that you will call the state Insurance department. two most feared words in claims are "bad faith" and "un fair claims practice".

keep us posted.