When you file an insurance claim after a personal injury accident in Florida, you expect the insurer’s settlement offer to cover your expenses. If this offer isn’t sufficient, you can reject it — but what happens next? 

Any one of a few different scenarios may play out after you reject a settlement offer, but your Florida personal injury attorney can help you determine how to proceed to maximize your compensation.

Possible Scenarios After Rejecting a Settlement Offer

Attempting to settle is often the first step in a personal injury lawsuit. Going to court is expensive, and both parties may try to avoid this outcome by settling through informal negotiations. 

But if you aren’t satisfied with the settlement offer, any of the following scenarios may happen next:

Negotiate a Higher Offer

First, you can speak with a Florida accident lawyer about negotiating a higher offer with the insurance company. If you go this route, you typically would need to provide further evidence showing that your claim is worth more than the initial offer covered. You will also typically show the calculations that led you to request a higher offer. 

After you have given this information to the insurance company, you may receive a counteroffer, which will likely be lower than what you requested. Alternatively, the insurance company could reject your negotiations. In this case, you may need to proceed with legal action for personal injury in Florida with the help of a trial lawyer. 

You don’t have to accept the insurer’s counteroffer, either. You can also reject this offer and move forward with the next steps. 

Request a New Adjuster

If you think the adjuster assigned to your claim is acting unreasonably, you and your Florida personal injury attorney can request that a new adjuster settle the claim instead. A different adjuster may be more sympathetic to your personal injury claim and provide a higher offer.

Of course, there’s always a chance that the new adjuster will give the same offer as your previous adjuster, if not a worse one. Still, this step may be worth a try before you resort to legal action. 

Take Legal Action 

Insurance companies are in the business of making money, and they often don’t conform to claimants’ demands for adequate compensation. If your attempts at negotiating have failed, you may need to take legal action against the insurer to secure higher compensation. 

Your first step should be threatening a lawsuit. Your personal injury attorney in Florida can communicate your intention to sue the insurance company, which may prompt the adjuster to increase their offer. If it doesn’t, your case will proceed to court. 

During this phase, you and your experienced Florida injury attorney will collect evidence showing the value of your claim. You can request compensatory damages to cover all of the expenses in your accident, but you can also claim compensation for the stress the insurance company has put you through to secure a reasonable settlement. 

The insurance company will have the opportunity to settle with you out of court. If it doesn’t, a judge will make the final determination of how much the insurer owes you. 

Secure Fair Compensation With the Help of Warner & Fitzmartin Law Firm for Accident Cases

You don’t have to accept an insurance company’s first offer. With the help of our experienced Florida personal injury attorneys at Warner & Fitzmartin, you can seek the maximum compensation for your injuries and begin moving forward with your life. 

Reach out today at 561-739-4425 to schedule your consultation.