If you are involved in a vehicle crash with another motorist, their insurer quickly ringing you up with an offer of compensation may feel welcome. You can take the money and get on with your life without having to fight about whose fault the crash was.
Unfortunately, things are not as simple as they might seem. The offer of an early settlement is not designed to make your life easier. Rather, it is designed to protect the insurer from having to pay you a potentially far larger sum. Insurers don’t make settlement offers when they are confident their driver was blameless. They make them when they think their driver was at fault.
Short-term convenience could come at a long-term cost
Maybe you are not that fussed about the amount of compensation. You understand that the other driver did not mean to crash into you – they just made a mistake. You want enough to cover the cost of repairs to your car and would be happy to leave it at that.
The big risk here is that the extent of a person’s injuries is not always obvious in the aftermath of a crash. Some very serious injuries can show very few, if any, obvious signs at first. If you settle a claim now, without understanding the extent of your injuries, you could find yourself in financial difficulties later. Maybe the headache you assume will go away with a few painkillers is a traumatic brain injury. Maybe the crick in your neck signals spinal damage that could be made much worse with one wrong movement.
Getting a medical check-up straight after a vehicle crash is highly recommended. Only then can you fully understand what toll the crash has taken on your body. Legal guidance to understand what an insurer should be paying you is also wise.