Should I accept the first settlement offer? – Know Your Case’s Worth
April Douglas: After an accident, it’s not uncommon for insurance companies to make a settlement offer fairly quickly, but that always isn’t the best thing to do. Here to explain more is David Greene from Greene & Phillips Injury Lawyers. Hi, David, thanks for being with us.
David Greene: All right.
April Douglas: Let’s talk about it. It could be tempting to take that offer right away. We’ve missed work, we’ve been in the hospital, but that’s probably not the best thing to do.
David Greene: That is not the best thing to do. As a matter of fact, a lot of insurance companies are going to call you almost immediately after your accident and offer to give you some small check. Many times it’s $100, $500, or even more. And so you really need to be encouraged that you do have a good case, but you do not need to take that offer. You need to talk to a lawyer like the lawyers at Greene & Phillips. There are many great lawyers in the Mobile area and Birmingham area as well that can take your case and can do really well for you.
April Douglas: But when you get a call from that insurance company, that’s a red flag that you need to talk to, need to make sure you talk to a lawyer, because it can be risky to take that offer so soon because some injuries, they don’t show up the day after or even the day after that.
David Greene: Right, absolutely. Absolutely. We’ve had cases over the years. I recall a particular case where a nice lady came in and she said, “I’ve been offered $1,000 for my case.” And she said, “What do you think it’s worth?” And I said, “Well, what’s going on?” She said, “Well, I did have shoulder surgery.” And I said, “Whoa, wait a second, let’s not take that offer, let’s put it together.” After we put the case together, we wound up getting her a large sum of money because she did have a surgery.
April Douglas: Let’s talk about calculating a claim. Insurance companies, they don’t have the same calculations that the attorneys and lawyers at Greene & Phillips do, right?
David Greene: Well, there’s a big difference because the lawyers at Greene & Phillips, we try cases. We actually know what the cases are bringing based on what local jury verdicts are paying. And so a lot of times insurance companies, not bad people, not picking on them, I love them, they’re my friends, but they’re on the opposite side. And my duty is to my client. My duty is to make sure we get as much as we possibly can in order to make sure our clients are fully compensated. And sometimes offers that insurance companies make are not enough, and we want to make sure we maximize the value of your case.
April Douglas: Quickly, what would you tell someone who’s thinking about filing a claim, but it’s like, “I really don’t, I’m not that type of person, I don’t want to do that.” What would you say to them?
David Greene: Well, a lot of times you have this social stigma, people say, “I’m not the suing type.” And I think what people just don’t want to be greedy, and no one wants to be greedy, we want to make sure that you’re paid fairly. But what happens is a lot of times people just say, “I don’t want to be the suing type, and I’m not going to get lawyers involved because I think I’m going to court if I get a lawyer.” The good news is at Greene & Phillips, you don’t have to go to court, and we can put your case together without the need to even file a lawsuit in most cases. And they can stop by anytime.
April Douglas: Thank you so much, David Greene.
