Auto Insurance Claims: Personal Injury Claim, personal injury claim, fault insurance

Question
Bennie,

I was in an auto accident March 2007 in NJ. A truck changing lanes did not see me and slammed into my car. He was 100% at fault. I injuried my left Hip and did all the necessary medical procedures to diagnose the injury (MRI...). I do not have any permanent damage or any more pain after undergoing 6 physical therapy treatments. I did not miss any days of work. I have been reimbursed for all medical expenses and damage done to my vehicle by the at fault driver's insurance company. The insurance company has contacted me to offer me a settlement to close the claim for good. As a rule of thumb how much should I try to negotiate? Should i seek legal council ? Is this something i can do on my own?

Thanks!

Nick

Answer
Hi Nick,
This is a small loss that you can easily handle yourself.
Normally, you would total all your "specials', these are bills for medical treatment, diagnostics such as your MRI and your physical therapy costs, prescription drugs and mileage at $0.43 per mile for every trip you made involving treatment and then ask for a settlement of 3 x your specials.
Since New Jersey is a no-fault insurance state and the adverse company has already paid your medical bills, then I would suggest asking for a settlement of of 2.2 times your specials, but be willing to negotiate and probably wind up settling for 1.8-2.0 x specials.
I hope this information is of help.
Sincerely,
Bennie
San Francisco Bay Area 10-19-07 5:21 PM PST