Accepting Your Personal Injury Settlement Offer...

Accepting the personal injury settlement offer should be easy, but there are a few points to consider. You aren’t going to accept an offer right-off. You'll always want to take some time to consider the details.

When you do accept the personal injury settlement offer, you'll want to do it in writing. The previous section really was the last word on putting things in writing, but you do have to respond to the offer!

There's two more types of letters you'll be writing. One's easy and one's a bit trickier.

Let's look at the trickier one first - the rejection letter. As seen in examining the negotiating process, there will be more than one offer made for your cash settlement. The first will probably be very low, so the adjuster can feel you out a little to see if you're really desperate. You should respond to this first settlement offer with a letter using a relatively small amount of detail. That means you want to make a clear argument, but not write another whole demand letter.

Let's say the low personal injury settlement offer came after the adjuster claimed you were negligent, and your injuries were minor. You’ll want to reject the offer in a letter that counters their arguments point by point.

For example, “You claim I am just as negligent as your client…”, and then cite the evidence that shows they're wrong. The police report might point out what the other driver did wrong. For a building code violation you'll write down exactly how the violation reads.

As for your injury, you'll do the same thing, citing medical records and x-rays that prove the severity of your injuries. You’ll finish the letter by lowering your offer five or ten percent, while noting the possibility of a slight amount of negligence on your part. Of course, you'll not actually admit to any negligence.

The Acceptance Letter...

When a personal injury cash settlement offer is made that you decide to accept, you'll write a letter to accept it. This letter doesn’t have to be complicated. Your wording doesn’t have to be as well thought out as your other letters.

The adjuster has made a personal injury settlement offer and won’t be able to take that offer back. The body of your acceptance letter will be something like this:

“I would like to confirm our telephone conversation of November 2nd where I agreed to settle my personal injury claim for $9500. Per your instructions, I will be expecting the release documents and the settlement within two weeks from today.”

If you made another claim against that insurance company for property damage, then you'll want to state in your acceptance letter that you're accepting the settlement for personal injury damages, not property damages. Chances are you already settled the property claim but, either way, you want to be sure that the issues are kept separate.

The personal injury settlement will come as a check along with the release documents. They might come separately, so remember, you won’t be able to cash the check until the release documents have been signed and sent back.

Read the release carefully. Make sure it doesn't have you conceding to anything unexpected or that you didn't agree to. It should state clearly that the settlement is for personal injury damages and no other damages. Except of course the pain, suffering and other damages already associated with your injury.

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