June 2026
6 min read
If you've been injured and an insurer has already made you an offer, there's something you should know before you sign anything: that first number is almost never what your claim is worth. It's an opening position, calculated to close your file quickly and cheaply.
The opening number is a tactic
Insurers are businesses. Every dollar they don't pay you is a dollar they keep. The first offer is designed to sound reasonable when you're stressed, in pain, and worried about bills - because that's exactly when people say yes.
The insurer's first offer was $180,000 and they called it final. We settled that same case at $4.2M.
How insurers calculate it
Adjusters use software and internal formulas that systematically undervalue non-economic losses - the pain, the disruption, the long-term impact. What the formula leaves out is often the largest part of a fair claim.Future medical costs that haven't been billed yet.
Reduced earning capacity going forward, not just wages lost so far.
Pain and suffering, which insurers minimise by
Before you accept anything
Talk to someone on your side first. A free case review costs nothing, carries no obligation, and will tell you honestly whether the offer on the table is fair - or a fraction of what you're owed.
What your claim is really worth
The honest answer is that no one can tell you a number until your medical picture is clear and the facts have been reviewed. Anyone who quotes you a figure on day one is guessing - and a guess helps the insurer, not you.
