Not sure about an injury settlement
Hi. I was t-boned a week ago. Statefarm accepted liability because the person who hit me was totally at fault (ran a red light). I received an offer of $2,800 (800 of that is due to lost wages) for pain and suffering. So before the lost wages were added on, my settlement was $2,000. Oh and they offered $15k for medical bills up to 180 days after the incident.
I have never been in an accident before. I have no idea if this is "good" or not. Generally speaking, I know big insurance companies low ball you, so I could probably get more than that.
All that said, I walked out with light injuries, so I THINK 15k for medical bills is fine. I had minor bruises and am already feeling better.
My issue is the $2,000 bucks for pain and suffering. My husband was in the car (he was the passenger, and I was driving). And he was awarded $2,500 (not including lost wages). I'm not trying to make our pain a competition (lol), but he told he experienced little to no pain after the accident. Meanwhile, I was on muscle relaxers and painkillers. My whole body ached. Etc. etc. That said, I already feel better. It's not like I broke any bones.
Should I try to get more? I feel like I should at least get as much as my husband (if not more). Or maybe I should be happy with $2k?? I'm clueless!
If I try to ask for more, how should I go about it?
Last question - my husband is worried that if I take too long to accept an offer that StateFarm can magically back out of paying. Is that a concern I should have? As far as I'm aware, they haven't given me a deadline to accept an offer. They gave me a deadline to accept the current offer of $2,800, but they specified that if I don't accept THAT offer by the deadline, that doesn't mean I won't get paid.
Any advice is appreciated! I don't think I'm interested in a lawyer. I don't think the accident was big enough of a deal to warrant a lawyer. I just don't want to get screwed over.