Answer:
I’ve been asked, in the context of a bus accident, whether I think it’s a good idea to take the insurance company’s first offer here in Mississippi. Really, whether you’re in Mississippi or anywhere else, first and foremost, I want to encourage you, if you or a loved one have been involved in a bus crash and have been injured, to not try to do that on your own. If you’re not an attorney doing claims adjusting on a daily basis, there are just so many pitfalls that people can fall into trying to talk to an insurance adjuster for the other side and handle the claim themselves, particularly on complex commercial vehicle litigation, which a bus crash would fall into.
When there are catastrophic injuries or potentially death involved, and there are multiple parties involved, there are also high stakes, in terms of the amount of money involved. That’s not a situation where anybody should be trying to do it on their own and represent themselves. Don’t do that. The reason I’m going through and explaining that is because most of the time, if that question is coming up – should I take the first offer from the insurance – it’s within the context of someone trying to do it on their own. That’s why it’s worth explaining why you should not be trying to negotiate on your own.
Without getting into any kind of trade secrets or how we do business or what have you, in any negotiation there are a lot of factors and strategy that go into it. I guess the point I want to make is, if you’re involved in a claim that’s arising from a bus crash or some other form of complex commercial vehicle litigation, you can rest assured the insurance adjuster on the other side and the risk manager of that company aren’t newcomers to these cases. These are the folks who do it on a regular basis, have been doing it awhile, and are used to dealing in big claims. A lot of times, once they realize they have liability and they’re going to be on the hook for that wreck and for the injuries that are arising from it, their next immediate strategy is to just try to get it resolved fast and cheap. Part of that strategy is, if they can swoop in and talk directly to the family, they know can probably get it resolved for a fraction of what the claim is worth. Just knowing that alone should give you ammunition and reason not to do it yourself or try to do it on your own.
For any claim, whether it’s a car wreck claim or medical malpractice, there is some truth to the notion that you never get the best offer upfront. You don’t get that on a car lot when you’re going to buy a car. They never make you the best offer as the first thing out of their mouth. You don’t do it in any other context of negotiation, so it’s pretty fair to say you’re probably not going to get that in legal negotiation, either. Again, without going into great detail of how we negotiate, I will tell you the secret that’s not really a secret. The people, the victims, the claimants, the plaintiffs who bring claims who get fair value and who get maximum value for their claims are the people who, one, have the facts on their side and liability, but, two, have counsel who work up that claim and prepare for trial and prepare for litigation in a way where the other side knows, and there’s no question about it, that they’ve done the work, done the preparation, and they’re prepared to get top dollar for that claim, whether it be through negotiation or whether it be at trial.
Again, this is the reason why seeking out the right representation that’s a fit for your claim is important, and why looking to someone who has a track record of experience litigating personal injury claims, track record of success with complex commercial injury claims such as bus accidents is important. You need to have the confidence that they’re going to work up that claim for you and be prepared so that the other side will see that and you will be more likely to get full value and fair value for that claim.
We’ve had success with complex commercial vehicle injury litigation here at the Brad Morris Law Firm. If you or a family member have been injured in a bus crash or some similar type of commercial vehicle incident, we’re here to answer your questions. Our goal is to get maximum value for our clients, to make sure that our clients get fair value, and what we have learned is the way to do that is to put in the hard work, invest in the cases, investigate the cases, do discovery, and to work up those cases in a way where we’re prepared to get full value and where the other side sees that we’re prepared. If you have a case rising out of a bus crash or a similar incident and want to discuss it, we offer free consults. If you just have questions, if you just need some questions answered about your bus wreck case, reach out to us on our website or give us a call. Our goal is to get you pointed in the right direction, to try to get you the help that you need.
