The negotiation process involves the making of offers and counteroffers. Ideally, the parties that have chosen to take part in such a process manage to settle their dispute. Yet, there are times when the negotiations do not end with a settlement.
The role of the demand letter
In the demand letter, the claimant spells out the amount of money that he or she seeks, as compensation for reported injuries. The letter’s contents also state why the other party appears to be at-fault for the reported accident. In addition, all demand letters include some other information.
Each of them provides the recipient/adjuster with details on the claimant’s injuries. Furthermore, each of them shares specific facts, regarding the injuries’ prescribed treatment. Finally, each of them states how much income the claimant lost, while recovering from the reported injuries.
Claimants that plan to send out a demand letter should also compose a message to the person that has been named in the letter’s contents. That named individual would be the person that was held responsible for the injury-causing accident.
How an ideal process could lead to a settlement
Ideally, the adjuster responds to the demand and issues an initial offer. If all goes smoothly, the claimant responds with a counteroffer. The 2 parties keep exchanging offers until both of them have agreed on one figure.
It then becomes the claimant’s job to write a letter, and to ask for confirmation of the figure on which the 2 sides had settled. That request for confirmation should also ask for the date when the insurer would be sending the promised compensation.
Why do some claimants elect to hire a lawyer?
The process outlined above does not always proceed as expected. Sometimes, the 2 sides reach an impasse. In that case, it could pay to seek help from a Personal Injury Lawyer in Waterdown.
In general, there are 3 situations that frequently push a potential plaintiff in a personal injury case to hire an attorney. First, it could be that the amount of money demanded by the claimant fell markedly above the typical demand of a few thousand dollars.
Second, it could be that the evidence has triggered a request for the insurance company to cover the cost of future medical expenses, or the monetary value for future lost income. Finally, it is possible that the insurance company has raised questions, regarding the identity of the person who deserves to be named at-fault for the injury-causing accident.
No one can predict when the circumstances associated with one of those 3 situations might develop. That is why it helps to gather whatever evidence could prove of use to any attorney that might be asked to handle a particular personal injury case.