Car accident...insurance paying me for inconvenience

[rennigade]

I was in a car accident the other day. It wasnt too major...someone pulled out from a side street and hit my rear door on the drivers side...almost like a t-bone kind of accident. It was other drivers fault.

I received a call today from the other parties insurance letting me know they will take care of the damages, etc...they also are going to give my wife and I $100/each for our inconvenience. I never heard of this.

Is this something new insurance companies are doing? Or did I just get lucky? Ive been in 6 car accidents since July 2008, luckily not a single one of which are my fault and Ive never been offered money for my troubles. I guess thats why my car still looks new. They keep replacing bumpers and side panels, etc. And yes...I do believe my car is cursed.

I can understand insurance companies wanting to please someone to avoid getting sued maybe...but in this case there was no way someone could have been injured over this accident.

[ua_guy]

It's a basic contract. It's consideration in exchange for agreeing to not pursue the insurance company for any additional treatment or remedy for injury, related to this accident. This is aside from the property damage portion, which handles the repairs to your car. If you accept this money and a medical condition arises or is aggravated down the road (say, next 3 years, statutory limit of the claim) as a result of this accident, it will be much harder to get any compensation or reimbursement. Then again, if you are certain you are 100% fine and will not be seeking any remedy or treatment, it's cash in your pocket.

The sum is negotiable. The payout is inclusive of physical harm/bodily injury, pain and suffering, inconvenience. You aren't lucky (given your history of collisions) but you may have a new adjuster working the claim. Chances are, if you ask for $200 or $250 each and settle the injury portion of the claim today, the adjuster just might agree.