Insurance pay out help...

[Bunnie]

Many know about rabbits accident back in october. well its finally gotten to a stage where i find out how much i get in compensation for personal injury.

the third party have decided to act with out prejudice as liability is still not decided but they have offerec to pay for things like the car hire and physio.

but what i need some advice and help with is the amout they have offered me for injuries. third party have vaulated it at £1,600 but my insurance company have suggest entering at £1,700 they reckon with the medical report it would take me 4 to 7 months to make a full recovery.

so its gonna take near on a year before i can start doing my job properly again...  now i dont know whether i was just expecting a little more or my minds just not working the way it should, and thats plenty and i should just shut up and let them sort it out for me.

obviously i could fight for more but of course that means its gonna carry on for god knows how much longer which for me means more of an emotional roller coster and im not sure if i can deal with it any more :( or i just settle for the 1,700 and be happy its over with

so realy just in need to a little advice as im a little confused as to what to think.

thanks all.

[TDi90]

seems a little low... but then again, what do i know? im just a young whoopersnapper!

[Bunnie]

i do think its low esp when my job contains a lot of heavy lifting. luckly for the past 2 months ive had my brother around so havent had to worry to much about finding the half hour its been taking for me to get barrels up on stillage. and dads been very good about it all too... he has the odd day where he moans about me not doing things but its getting better.

[rollazuki]

I got 3k years ago for a knacker hip joint and a busted wrist.
My wrist took 8 weeks to fix, and I had grief with my hip for maybe 18 months.(not life threatening, but uncomfortable)

Id push for more mebbe

[chris.hunt22]

I bust my wrist and was off work for about 8 weeks, it clicks now when I use a rachet and can sometimes be a bit painful, I got offered £1600 but rejected it, a full 18 months later after a scan on it (they said they could see some small blisters in the joint) I got £8200!!  It pays to moan and hang around in my experience!!

[Ja1983]

Rule 1, NEVER accept the first offer!

might be worth trying for a bit more, they arent instantly going to offer you every penny they have. Also worth speaking to your legal rep, be careful as to how they view this, as it may be viewed under the eyes of the law as an out of court settlement, were you could be getting bought out for less than your worth.

[Bunnie]

cheers guys please keep suggestions/experiences coming :)

i know im always going to suffer with a bad shoulder now:(
though all this ive only had 2 days off work, sometimes wish i had more. but then i also wish id nva gotten out the car or moved it off the road :(

[waveydavey]

There are a few things to concider:
1; Is blame 100% the other side? If not they will 'loss adjust'.

2; You talk about help 'lifting barrels' does that mean you were at work? If so then you will struggle to claim lost earnings, if you could not work then get paperwork to prove it and you can claim lost earnings, subject to 1 above.

3; How permanant is the injury? Obviously more than 1 month to heal, that means something after that it is very much time and severity. If you can expect pain (or restrictions) for life then you should be compensated accordingly. If you can anticipae a full recovery it will be redudced (although this has t be better!)

4; as said before the first offer is just that, an offer. A starting point for negotiations. Get a decent solicitor and let tehm argue the toss. Do you know anybody who has been screwed over by a solicitor? If so use that solicitor, if they do it for somebody else they can do it for you!

[Tailendcharley]

:)  :) Bunnie,hang in there,do not rush into any settlement,this offer is way far too small....wait to see how your injury turns out in the long run...I know it is a stressful time for you at the moment,dig deep into your resolve and make your decision when you are absolutely satisfied that you know the outcome of your injuries...hope everything turns out ok for you in the future...

 :)  :) Terry Smith :)  :)

[Bunnie]

Davey, im a bar manager...  ive only had to days off work since the accident other than that ive managed to adapt the way i work. its only a small pub and its family run too so me being me felt i couldnt take the time off. plus using my shoulder even a small amount stops it from becoming a frozen shoulder and i really dont want that. plus im not claiming loss of earnings just personal injury.

According to the paperwork its a 4 to 7 month recovery, ive got my last session of physio tomorrow so shall see what she says about things.

it is the solicitors who are dealing with everything. they were appointed by the insurance company. they been ok so far about things. Liability hasnt yet been decided. he claims i swereved to avoid flooding and there for he hit me. now im not sure how ican swerve when i was stationarry at the junction :S

Im not sure wheather it be a live time injury, i think its quite possible that at some points im going to be in pain every so often, esp when the weather is damp.

[waveydavey]

That still sounds to me like a very low offer. Talk nicely to the Physio, if the final discharge says something along the lines of they have done what they can but you ahve to learn to live with it as it will never go away then the numbers go up.

If you can I would suggest taht you talk to an indipendant solicitor; they may be 'workign for you' but if they are appointed by an insurance company ask yourself where the true loyalty lies?

Liability will be an issue but even if shared the bigger the number shared the bigger the amount you get.

Hard to do but just hang on. The biggest card the insurance companies have to play is time; they can take as long as they like, they know well that you want to settle ASAP.

[Bunnie]

me thinks a letter may be in order this evening.

[andyhubbard]

It sounds to me that if they are making an offer then they know it's their fault and are trying to buy you out cheap.

[Evilgoat]

Just a few more points

The third party insurance comapny are saying this and the repairs to the car are a goodwill payment and they are not admitting liability.

Just spoke to a Solicitor who said, dont accept and wait till they admit liability then you have more leverage. Basically as said above, they are aiming for a payoff and to make it all not have happened.

[Range Rover Blues]

I got that much for an injured neck, trip in an ambulance and 2 days of work, it's a f*****g insult.  All right so I still have trouble with my neck but I got off lightly compared to you.  You needd to hold your resolve, they don't see you as a person, just a balance sheet and they will try ot save their profits at the expense of your comfort and livelyhood.

Kick them in the b***s, I'd be asking 1,700 A MONTH if you can't work.

[Bunnie]

That was my original way of thinking when i got the letter...

can only hope.

[minty]

if its the first offer i personaly would hold out for another offer, i think thay offer up to three values before it then goes to court if you are still undesided. ask your solicitor to look up simular claims, thay have some sort of x-ref book / internet base where simular claims are logged. when i did some cash in hand work and burnt both of my feet concreting i only got offerd £2,000 to start of with, i turned down 2 other offers and ended up with £7,800 cash and all my expenses payed including solicitors fee a total of over £12,000, someone in usa simular situation but lost his feet got £10,000, so listern to what your solicitor says and act on that information