Auto Insurance Claims: Settlement, hi mom, 16yr

Question
My 17yr son was a passenger in a single roll over auto accident driven by a 16yr on a provisional license. My son had minor injuries. Medical bills totaled $4282 minus the $1000 medical payment from her insurance. Claim adjuster wants to settle for $8282. I want to counter. What do you think?

Answer
Hi Mom,

The value of an injury claim is based on the cost of the medical expenses as well as the nature & extent of the injury, the length of treatment, possible future treatment and theoverall prognosis. Most injury claims are settled based on a multiple of the total cost of treatment with 2 to 4 times the medical bills being common. They appear to be offering close to 2 times the meds. You may want to make a counter offer of 3 to 3 1/2 times the meds. Then after several back and forth rounds, settle somewhere in the middle.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh