Unfair Settlement Offer After a Car Wreck? A San Antonio TX Accident Attorney Can Help

If you’ve been injured in a car wreck in Central Texas, chances are that an insurance company will offer you money to settle your claim right away. That might seem like a relief at first, but here’s the truth: many initial settlement offers are unfair. Whether companies underestimate your damages, ignore future medical costs, or pressure you to settle before you’ve fully healed, these offers are designed to protect their bottom line and not your well-being.

A San Antonio car accident attorney can ensure that your offer is honest and reasonable. Although nothing is a substitute for formal legal support, the information below can help you understand your rights after an auto accident in San Antonio, Texas.

With heavy traffic on corridors like I-35 and Loop 410, many San Antonio residents unfortunately face car accidents and the lowball insurance settlement offers that follow. The at-fault driver’s insurance company is supposed to cover your damages, but injured parties might accept deceptively appealing offers without realizing what they’re giving up.

Here are a few red flags that may signal an unfair car settlement:

• It doesn’t cover all your medical bills. This includes future treatments, not just those that have already been billed.
• Lost wages or compromised future income aren’t considered. If you missed work or will continue to lose earning capacity, that should be factored in.
• There’s no compensation for pain and suffering. Noneconomic damages matter, especially after serious injuries.
• You haven’t reached maximum medical improvement, or the point at which your injury has stabilized. Settling too early means missing out on compensation for ongoing or future issues.

Remember that you can question your initial offer, even if it appears to come from an official-looking envelope. Once you sign, you relinquish the right to request additional compensation later.

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, you have the right to hire an attorney who can help you negotiate a better settlement. Through that settlement, you’re entitled to seek the compensation you deserve under Texas’s modified comparative fault system, meaning:

• You can recover damages as long as you’re 50% or less at fault.
• Your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to you.

Due to this system, the determination of fault is a crucial factor in maximizing compensation. Therefore, properly contextualizing your SAPD accident report and any citations issued at the scene is key for a favorable outcome.

When you work with an experienced legal team, you don’t just get someone to fill out dense and complicated paperwork. You get an advocate for every possible situation. For example, your lawyer can do all of the following:

• Review an offer, and tell you whether it’s fair based on your accident details.
• Calculate your full damages, including costs you might not have considered.
• Negotiate with the insurance company using strong evidence and legal knowledge.
• Handle communications and deadlines, so you’re not pressured into signing anything too quickly.
• File a lawsuit if negotiations do not result in a fair outcome.

Whatever the case may require, our client reviews paint a clear picture of consistent results.

If something feels off about your settlement offer, trust your instincts. Call 800-862-1260 at no cost to schedule a free case review at Carabin Shaw. Our staff speaks both English and Spanish, and we’re available to support you by phone 24/7.

An unfair settlement can leave you paying out of pocket for someone else’s mistake, but our lawyers help you push back without creating more financial burden. That’s because we offer our services on a contingency-fee basis instead of requiring upfront payments, so there’s no reason to wait.

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