Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 6:26 pm Post subject: IF A VEHICAL WAS TOTALED IN A CAR ACCIDENT, DO LAWYERS ADD..
IF A VEHICAL WAS TOTALED IN A CAR ACCIDENT, DO LAWYERS ADD THE AMOUNT OF THE VEHICLE INTO THE SETTLEMENT? _________________ Register Now to have your Insurance queries solved.
Jane,
your vehicle is a separate claim from the injury settlement. you would have a property damage (pd) claim and a bodily injury (bi) claim...two claims... pd would handle the vehicle's repairs or total loss value, loss of use (rental) if owed... bi would discuss medical bills, loss of income, and other general damages (pain and suffering, short/long term disability, intangibles, etc)
most of the time the pd claim is not handled by the attny b/c it settles more quickly and there is not much to negotiate, its fairly simple. many insurance companies will provide you with a very thorough independant evaluation that includes comparible vehicles in your area, not usually much to negotiate. the bi on the other hand can take some time to settle(depending on many variables) but basically it usually will not settle until you have completed treatment, your attny has submitted all your documentation and settlement demand, and has given the insurance company time to evaluate the demand and accept, negotiate, or deny.
If it was a UMPD (and very few states even offer this), it would not be a liability coverage. The coverage would be coming directly from the attorney's client's policy. So no, even if a UMPD claim, the value would not be a part of the liability settlement.
