Q: Is it worth suing an insurer for a lowball offer after a car accident in Georgia?
I was involved in a car accident where I T-boned a truck that made a U-turn in front of me. I was driving at approximately 52 mph. The police report indicates that the other party was at fault. My car was totaled, and I've suffered a lot of soft tissue damage, accumulating $6,400 in medical bills. The insurance company offered $1,000 after covering the medical expenses, but I expected at least $5,000 in my pocket after paying medical bills. I have hired a law firm, which is currently working on my case. Is it worth filing a lawsuit against the insurance company for the lowball offer?
A:
Your question would be best directed towards your attorney since he/she knows the particular facts of your case best. Nevertheless, in an effort to provide you a response, I will answer your question the best I can.
For starters, insurance companies are not the named defendant in a lawsuit. The named defendant is the other driver and his/her company (assuming the driver was within the scope of employment at the time of the wreck). Filing a suit is a serious decision. For most attorneys the fee increases when suit is filed. Also, case expenses increase exponentially when a lawsuit is filed. There are also the issues of time as lawsuits can take months (sometimes years) to resolve. There is also no guarantee you will net more by filing suit than what you would have net had you accepted the insurance company's top offer. In short, there are a number of factors which must be considered before filing a lawsuit.
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