Auto Insurance Claims: Never been in an accident before.What do we do?, lump sum settlement, rush hour traffic

Question
Hello Mr. Hixenbaugh.
On March 7, My husband and three children were at a complete stop in a long line of rush hour traffic. A teenager holding her small dog and on her cell phone hit them full force at 40mph. (Scariest call I ever got).
I took them to the ER-two year old was holding his neck saying "ow", the three year old said her knee hurt, and both my husband and 10 year old had back pain. The little ones are sometimes anxious to get in the van, and the 10 year old is constantly watching traffic.Our minivan dosen't look bad, but drives with a "new" sound everyday. My Pediatrician said I have to get rid of the car seats. (That's $720 worth of car seats!-But probably why they were physically hurt).
The claims adjuster is coming by my work today to look at the van? What do I do or say? What's our next step?
I'm fairly nieve about this subject-and really need some step-by-step guiadance!
Thank you so much!!

Answer
Hi Carrie,

Sorry for the delay, but I was out of town.

The other persons insurance will owe you the following:

1) cost to repair the van
2) cost to replace the car seats
3) a rental vehicle during repairs
4) medical bills, lost wages and pain & suffering

The last one (#4) will not be paid as incurred. They will do a lump sum settlement at the end of any and all treatment required.  Depending on the state you live in, you may have some coverages on your own policy for medical expenses. You should contact your insurance company to see if this is the case.

Fortunately, yours do not sound like serious injuries. Just deal with one issue at a time. Don't let the other insurance company bully you into anything. If something they are proposing does not seem correct, ask questions, get it in writing. You should select your own body shop to do the repairs. The isnurance company may try to steer you to one of their "preferred shops".  Don't be fooled by guarantees or threats that you may have to pay for some of the repairs. You have the right to select the shop. Be sure you will be given at least a five year warrantee from the shop on all repairs including paint work.

This should get you started. If you have other questions, post them here and I will do my best to help.

Good Luck
Richard Hixenbaugh