Auto Insurance Claims: Daughter & I in accident.in ca, lump sum settlement, stop sign

Question
on wednesday 05-23-07 around 5:15 p.m. my daughter and I were traveling north bound on pickering st, as we were driving the other vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign and I had the right-away with no stop sign, he hit my vehicle from the side. He also admit that it was his fault.Anyways my questions are I filed a claim with of course state farm, I contacted them the next morning I talked to a lady they told me that they are reassign to someone else because of injuries. I finally called back in the afternoon and I the adjuster direct number. I called right away the adjuster told me that he recieved duplicate claims and he will need more time to review. To make a long story short is that they are taking forever to get back to me. Me and my daughter went to urgent care because my neck was hurting and my daughter had a bruise from the setbelt and she claiming her shoulder hurts, I missed two days of work, and going to be the first day since the accident. I fell that they are not taking this claim serious. What can I do? How much should I settle for? Should I hire a attorney?

Thanks,
Richard

Answer
Hi Richard,

You are getting a little ahead of yourself.  The accident was only 2 days ago. The insurance company can take up to 30 days to investigate the claim, although they generally do not take that long.  

Within a few days thay will send a damage estimator to inspect your car to see if it is repairable or a total loss. In the mean time you should look for a body shop to repair the car if it is repairable.

If you are injured and require treatment, you should go to the doctor. If you have health insurance, you should put the claim through it. Once all of the treatment is complete you will make a 1 time lump sum settlement for all medical bills, lost wages, pain & suffering, etc..  You may want to consult with an attorney if your injuries are moderate to severe. If your injuries are minor you may want to handle it yourself.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh