Insurance adjusters are under a lot of pressure to settle injury claims quickly and in an amount that will save their company money.
One approach to obtain early resolution of such claims is to offer to pay medical bills up to a certain amount plus an amount for the “inconvenience.” Although such offers can be enticing to the uninitiated, there are many perils contained in such proposals.
The most important thing to be aware of is that accepting such an offer generally includes the requirement that the injured party sign a release that cuts off any further claim against the at fault party (and the insurance company).
For an injured party, it can be risky to agree to a settlement before the extent of the injury is fully known. It is possible that what might appear at first to simply be a strained muscle is actually a more complicated injury. The injured party may have to undergo physical therapy, injections or other significant treatment to recover.
If the injured party had agreed to the type of early settlement described above, that person would have no ability to seek compensation for the additional time, effort, inconvenience and pain involved in the healing process.
Certainly, there are instances where only a minor injury has occurred and an early resolution is appropriate. However, one should be mindful that the purpose of such settlements is to extinguish claims.
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