How To Get A Higher Settlement Offer When An Insurer Uses A Software Program To Evaluate The Value Of Your Personal Injury Claim
Filing a personal injury claim is serious business, as the injuries you sustain in a motor vehicle accident can affect the rest of your life. With more insurance companies using software programs to arrive at a settlement amount, it helps to know from the start that an insurer uses assessment software to calculate the value of your personal injury claim. Giving the insurance adjuster more specific information about your injuries and the impact on your life during the initial intake can maximize the value of your claim. Consult with a personal injury attorney in order to best figure out the specifics.
How Colossus Works
Colossus is a computer software program that many insurance companies use to help adjusters estimate settlement figures for bodily injury claims. Although insurers maintain that the claim estimate Colossus generates is a starting point from which the adjuster can go if you supply additional facts, often it's what you will be compensated.
A Colossus evaluation is based on information from your medical record that the insurance adjuster enters into the database. Once the information is entered, Colossus provides a summary of the claim, including a suggested settlement amount.
Colossus uses objective variables in determining a value for your claim. The program also compares your bodily injury claim to other claims stored in its database.
Factors Insurers Consider to Arrive at a Settlement
Key factors an insurance company will look at before arriving at a settlement amount include treatment options for your injuries, the length of time you will need to receive medical treatment, and an estimate of the cost of treatment. An insurer will also consider your loss of income for time lost from work, and if you have suffered any permanent impairments.
Additional factors that can affect the amount of your claim but aren't easy to assign a value include emotional distress, pain and suffering, and how your injuries will affect your future life and relationships. While software programs like Colossus look only at numbers in calculating values, injury-related factors, such as long-term pain and suffering, can significantly impact your life.
You can build a better case and increase the value of your personal injury claim by:
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Describing your injuries to your doctor in detail. If your injuries are serious, you may require future medical care and that can increase the value of your claim and the insurance company's settlement offer.
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Telling your doctor about any pain, anxiety, trouble sleeping, and depression related to your injuries. Your doctor may determine that you need treatment for these symptoms. When considered along with your physical injuries, these conditions may help you get a fair settlement.
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Discussing the time you've lost from work and how your injuries have affected your ability to perform normal daily functions. Everything you tell your doctor about your injuries is evidence you can use to back up your personal injury claim. That's why you need to get it all noted in your medical record.
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Telling your doctor that you were wearing a seat belt at the time of your accident so the information gets written into your medical records. The insurance adjuster assigned to your case will look to see if you were in any way at fault for your injuries.
Although you would still be entitled to damages if you were injured in an accident while not wearing a seat belt, an insurance company generally limits how much it will pay on your claim, even if you were not at fault for the accident.
If you weren't wearing a seat belt and the insurance company denies your claim, you can sue. However, the court will usually assign a portion of the fault to you for not wearing a seat belt. That percentage is then deducted from the amount you are awarded for damages.
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Following up with your injuries. You don't want to settle before completing all your medical treatment and have recovered from your injuries as best you can.
Continue to see your doctor for follow-up treatment, as the insurance company will want to know what medical progress you make. Also, there is always the chance that additional symptoms may surface weeks later.
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