So There I Was, Coming Home From Spencer's BBQ...

[John6185]

USAA is in contact with me, they picked the car up and will no doubt declare it a total loss and try to settle with me less $500 deductible but when they go after the other guy's insurance (Farmers) they'll reimburse the $500. The car that hit us was a Ford Fusion 2018 model and I'm glad it wasn't an 18 wheeler! Witnesses say he didn't hit the brakes but I knew that because his front end didn't dip prior to hitting us.

 

[NikatKimber]

I HATE dealing with insurance companies. My DIL got hit and totaled her car when a lady ran a stop sign. They were lowballing her and she told me she was gonna take what they offered. I had her sign a waiver and sent it to the insurance company. I made them send me their comps. Game on *****es. I pointed out to them their comps were 6 months old, higher mileage and 6 states away. I gave them my comps and told them what we would take. The lady punched them in her little computer and came back $800 HIGHER than what I told her we'd take. Ya know what I said?? "Ok, we'll take it...."

If the offer is low, this is how to refute it.

Yep. That's what I did a couple years ago. They did comps that were not valid - mine was the top spec sport manual car, they used regular automatics, mine was a rare color, they used silver and black. In addition, there were no valid comps within 300miles, so I asked for travel/transport cost. I also requested tag/title/tax - don't forget about that, especially with a newer car, that can be costly. They also discounted the values by 11% on all the comps they used. I've never gotten that much off on an older used car, so I objected to that. I did my research, found over 20 comps (mostly on the east and west coast), documented exactly where my numbers came from, and submitted my request. I was reasonable, and they gave me what I asked for.

 

[John6185]

I like that comment! Good attitude and negotiating skills! A person needs certain skills to compete with the corporate world today because they are out to take you for all you've got if they get the chance!

 

[John6185]

Settled with the car, that was quick. Drove it six years. Now for the medical, the car totaled and a couple of mild to moderate whiplash injuries, laceration and bruising. ER at Alliance Midwest was over $20,000 and no MD saw me, it was a PA. and the 20K doesn't include the ambulance bill nor Doctor's bill from the ER visit. So far so good, headaches fading, bruises slowly Dissipating, swelling of eye and rectus muscles lessened...

 

[Dumpstick]

Years ago, the companies used a formula of some sort to settle injury claims. The payout was some particular multiple of the medical bills. I remember a motorcycle wreck i was in many years ago (not my fault). My passenger was injured, and IIRC she settled at 4x medical bills.

This was, of course, for unremarkable injury claims.

I don't know how they handle those claims now.

 

[John6185]

I have read that 3x the medical bills was the usual formula years ago but the insurance companies have steered away from that methodology. I'm not sure what their leaning is today. However, they do pay for pain and suffering and how they work that out is only a guess on my part.

 

[John6185]

Well, thought I'd sort of finalize this settlement, the doctor asked me what I wanted to do and I said "Finalize it." Later I went back and picked up a copy of the visit and even though I have trauma that most likely will lead to arthritis he signed of that I was recovering. The adjuster has all the billing and info so she'll tally up the results and then make an offer of settlement. I am not happy with the Doctor's summarization at all, he did not write the report in my favor as he could have. But we'll see.

 

[swampratt]

You do not have to sign off on medical. does not matter what 1 doctor stated.
They will try and make you sign off and pay you to do so.
I got a lawyer years ago and got the full amount of their medical and my medical.
$30,000 but after my medical bills were paid I walked or limped away with $17,000.

But ALL my toes on the right foot were smashed off and just hanging there by a little bit of skin.
Doctor fixed them pretty good for what he had to work with.

You do not have to accept their offers.

 

[John6185]

Thanks Swampy! I knew I could negotiate with them on the settlement. Medical is close to $30,000 but they have an agreement with the medical facilities and only paid them around $8,000. But it's my understanding they pay on the $30,000 Not the $8,000 according to what I've read.

 

[swampratt]

Some insurance companies are very tight and my wife work in the insurance business for many years .. Not auto insurance but health.
One company she worked for said deny at least 80% of the legitimate claims and sometimes deny them twice .
When people get denied on a claim they think that is the end of it and end up paying out of pocket.
My wife would not play ball.

And with that known it is in our favor to have the doctors resubmit the claims and it is in our best interest to get on the phone with the insurance companies and straighten them out.

Now something else in our favor is that the insurance companies do not want the Insurance Commissioner called on them.

Wife said if that happens 3 times they get audited.
I do not know what the time span is for the 3 strikes though.
Wife was friends with the insurance commissioner or someone in that office many years ago and that was in our favor.
1 call and all is taken care of.
Insurance company called us back and all apologetic and what can I do to make you happy ..Kind of like going over their head.

Keep researching and I bet you will get some answers.
Sometimes your homeowner policy will have an amendment that pays in an auto accident.
Yea I had that back in 1987.
Good luck.