You should never accept a settlement offer from an insurance company without consulting a lawyer first. The initial offer is likely to be much lower than the value of your damages, so it's best to enlist the help of a legal professional and negotiate for a better offer. You should never accept a settlement until your doctor has determined the full impact of your injuries, known as maximum medical improvement (MMI). This process can take up to two weeks for the insurance company to respond to your demand letter, and the entire process can take months depending on how many rounds of offers and counteroffers are involved.
It's important to discuss any settlement offer with an attorney before accepting it. If you've already accepted verbally, you may need to formally cancel your offer of acceptance. This is something a lawyer should be able to help you with. Injured people should not accept offers of compensation before arriving at MMI because the full impact of their injuries is not yet known.
A Redding personal injury lawyer can explain when is the best time to accept a settlement offer and the consequences of signing it too early in the process. Experienced personal injury lawyers understand that an early settlement helps victims feel that life is returning to normal, but they also know that a settlement offer is just the beginning of a negotiation process with the insurance company.
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