Not driving my own car, trying to settle with my insurance.
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Not driving my own car, trying to settle with my insurance.
Obviously the easy answer is: get a lawyer, and I’ve gotten it before, so be different.Where can I find records of past settlements to compare my claim to so that I can get a ballpark figure to work from when negotiating with my insurance company?
Asked on June 4, 2009 under Accident Law, Wisconsin
Answers:
L.M., Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 14 years ago | Contributor
It sounds like you're getting frustrated. I understand you want to do this yourself without the assistance of an attorney. It certainly can be done. For past settlement and jury verdict information, most of this information is available at your local county law library--just ask the librarian. On-line it is available, but most sites charge, such as http://www.juryverdictresearchservices.com/ and it isn't inexpensive. If you have an injury, let me just tell you as a rule of thumb, that insurance companies look at the facts, the liability situation, what injuries you have, how you were treated and what it cost, if you lost any wages as a result of your injury, what other expenses you are claiming, any special factors, and then they generally come up with an opening offer that is somewhere around 3 times the amount of medical bills plus your other expenses. This isn't set in stone and it can vary a lot depending on the circumstances outlined above. If it is property damage to a vehicle that you are trying to settle, and it is a total loss, they will pay the actual cash value (usually based on sources like the Kelley Blue Book) less any salvage that is kept by the owner. Hope this helps.
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