What is the Negotiation Process?

If you have been injured in a bus accident in the Boston area, you may be able to recover financial compensation by filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit.

If you have been injured in an accident in Massachusetts, you may be able to seek compensation for your medical bills and other such losses by filing an insurance claim. It is wise to hire a lawyer when doing so.

An insurance company likely will not pay the compensation you request. Often, you must negotiate with an insurer to arrive at a fair settlement.

Although every case is unique, in general, the negotiation process involves these steps:

Investigating Your Accident

Before any negotiations can begin, it is necessary to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of an accident. This initial investigation can serve several essential purposes.

First, to demonstrate that you are eligible to recover compensation in a Boston personal injury case, you must correctly identify the negligent party who caused your accident. It is not always immediately clear who this is. An investigation will serve to identify the liable parties when this is the case.

You must also present sufficient evidence showing that you were injured as a result of negligence. Gathering this evidence may require an investigation. An insurance company might attempt to deny your claim if you cannot provide evidence illustrating that you were harmed because of someone else’s carelessness.

Luckily, you do not need to conduct this type of investigation yourself. Odds are you do not have the resources and expertise necessary to do so anyway. Instead, you should enlist the help of a Massachusetts personal injury law firm capable of investigating an accident on your behalf.

Accounting for Your Losses

Depending upon the severity of your injuries and the impact that they have on your quality of life, after being harmed in an accident resulting from someone else’s negligence, you may be able to pursue compensation for such losses/damages as:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Physical pain
• Psychological pain
• Loss of enjoyment of life

This is not an exhaustive list. Determining the proper and just compensation owed when you file a claim requires accounting for all your compensable losses. When doing so, it may be necessary to assign a dollar value to such non-economic losses as pain and suffering.

This is another task that a qualified Boston personal injury attorney can handle for you. Your lawyer will review your medical bills and other documentation of your losses to calculate how much your claim may be worth.

Determining how much money you deserve when you file a claim requires accounting for all your compensable losses. When doing so, it may be necessary to assign a dollar value to such non-economic losses as pain and suffering.

Filing a Claim

Once you have gathered sufficient evidence of negligence and accounted for all your compensable losses, you can file a claim with an insurance company. Often, this is a task your lawyer will complete as your representative.

Your claim will describe your compensable past, current, and future losses/damages, demanding compensation accordingly. Once your claim has been filed, the insurance company will begin the process of reviewing it.

Back-and-Forth Negotiations

After reviewing your claim, the insurer may contact your attorney and offer a settlement amount.

Sometimes, this initial offer is fair, and no further negotiations are necessary. However, it’s very common for insurance companies to offer less compensation than claimants deserve at first.

Insurance companies are businesses. The goal of the insurer is to pay out as little money as possible. If an insurer’s first offer is unreasonably low, your attorney will negotiate on your behalf until a reasonable settlement offer is made, or to determine whether litigation and trial will be necessary.

At Swartz & Swartz, P.C., you will find a Boston personal injury law firm that has been helping clients negotiate for appropriate compensation since the 1970s. Our lawyers’ substantial experience handling cases like yours has provided us with a thorough understanding of how to effectively negotiate with an insurance company. For more information about how we can help you secure the compensation you deserve, contact us online or call us at (800) 545-3732.

Need Help?

If you or someone you know, needs help from a lawyer, contact the law offices of Swartz & Swartz, use our live chat, or send us a message using the form below and we’ll get in touch to assess your case and how we can help.