My day had unfortunate interruption. NEW INFO

[wroman]

Thank you to Peoria for your details I more that appreciate it.   If within that second offer if I have a figure in mind should I not mention it or just leave the  numbers up to them until I suggest an attorney may be needed. I sold high dollar test equipment to the auto service industry so I am well aware of the term 'the first to speak looses.'  When I am ready to settle I assume I contact them and say so and from what I gather let them do the talking.

[PlaynInPeoria]

No problem, glad to help.

BTW (and others can jump in here also), you're not required to talk to them if they call "with just a few quick questions".  It generally does not benefit you to talk to them.  My brother got his old C10 totalled in a similar scenario and got a lot of pressure to settle from the insurance company.  He is like you, a great guy, very easy going and doesn't want to cause trouble or a fuss. I begged him to get a lawyer and it took a long time to convince him. He finally did and ended up coming out ok.  He had to get knee surgery btw.

If you get a lawyer, get some references from satisfied customers. You're not looking for a nice guy, you want a shark that will burn down buildings to stand up for you. I am very skeptical of insurance companies (and HMO's), they're in business to take in money and not pay it out.  Great for them, not good for you in this circumstance. 

[wroman]

  Well I contacted the insurance company and indicated I was willing to settle and they offered $8,300.00 and they pay the doctors.  I said if they wanted to close the case make me a reasonable offer and we could talk.  They came back and indicated I have two years to finalize the claim.  I do not make a huge some of money at this time in my life and I feel they are trying to take advantage of me by dangling a carrot. Truth is The accident has left less able to comfortably ride the bike and I would take a huge hit getting rid of it.  I believe it is time to see an attorney.  I find it hard to believe they would let it get to that.

[gPink]

  .  I find it hard to believe they would let it get to that.

Of course they will. The insurance company is not in the business to pay fair and equitable claims.

[Barry]

Of course they will. The insurance company is not in the business to pay fair and equitable claims.

This... ^^^^^

It is their mission to save their client money, and abuse you in any way possible.  Lawyer up, and charge them for that too.

[x9rider]

  Well I contacted the insurance company and indicated I was willing to settle and they offered $8,300.00 and they pay the doctors.  I said if they wanted to close the case make me a reasonable offer and we could talk.  They came back and indicated I have two years to finalize the claim.  I do not make a huge some of money at this time in my life and I feel they are trying to take advantage of me by dangling a carrot. Truth is The accident has left less able to comfortably ride the bike and I would take a huge hit getting rid of it.  I believe it is time to see an attorney.  I find it hard to believe they would let it get to that.

You definitely need to consult with a lawyer at this point, especially if you have nagging problems physically. Insurance companies are in the business of happily collecting your premiums, but the game all changes when they have to pay out. They are the cheapest sons of B*tches on the planet. They rely on your inexperience with the system to get away from your claim cheaper than they should. Don't trust them.

[stevewfl]

I recently switched 5 bikes to Progressive. Good luck with your case!

[Awaz]

Just for my education, what would be a reasonable offer to OP by the insurance company? If the insurance company was to settle, what amount is considered acceptable taking into account the injuries he posted so far?

[ropjohns]

  I was on a great two day ride down to Gallipolis, OH and the Point Pleasant, WV area exploring the area. Gallipolis is a wonderful little Ohio river town, really laid back and found a great motel, the William Ann Motel, for $45.00 a night.  Coming back yesterday I pulled off in a parking lot to pull on a long sleeve shirt and while wait for traffic to clear and pull out a guy backed into me and I went down. I was able to ride home five hours but was not the most comfortable ride I had ever had. I do not think I broke anything but feel pretty beat up, going to the the doctor tomorrow.  I have not been down on a bike in 32 years.
  Looks like rt mirror, and both saddlebag lids and main fairing rt side upper and lower panels, and the lower sub swingarm V shaped piece and the cap.  The front muffler end cap also. 
 
**** Is there any thing I should be looking for before the adjustor comes out?
**** Will these pieces normally just get replaced?
**** The persons that hit me was a true gentleman and his ins company has already set up a claims process including medical for me to see the doc tomorrow.

*****Like I said this is all new to me and even my ins co indicated to include missed work and pain and suffering in the claim.  I am NOT the type of person to milk anything like this but plans for a biking vacation a couple of weeks may be off for now.  Has anyone been through this and what is normal to ask for in terms of consequential damages? 
Thanks for any suggestions,
Walt

wroman - sorry to read about all these unfortunate events, but i was wondering about the area you were riding in, as i will be doing a long, 8 day trip, all through east coast mountain ranges, and possibly up into wv and ohio if it's worth it (coming from florida).  incredible roads where you were?  hilly, curvy, etc.?  would love to know so i can plan!  Thanks!!

[PlaynInPeoria]

Truth is The accident has left less able to comfortably ride the bike and I would take a huge hit getting rid of it. 

And this is the key bit of info. You have an ongoing injury.  It has hurt you and limited you for an extended period of time and could conceivably leave you with some form of permanent disability.  Talk to a lawyer.  My settlement for 1 day's inconvenience was $6500.  You're x10 that now for pain and suffering alone , in my opinion.  Do NOT talk to them again, talk to a lawyer. Bear in mind, a lawyer takes a chunk for their efforts.

Good luck!

[VirginiaJim]

+1!

[wroman]

I was about 6 miles west of Grafton WV on route 50.  When I was young (a long time ago) these roads were my playground and would often do two day trips from Ohio to Winchester VA and back.  There is a lot more traffic now and a lot of it is overloaded trucks and pickup trucks on a mission. 

[wroman]

  I spent some time consulting with a layer from a pretty strong law firm and it seems there offer of paying all my doctors bills which has not been much considering , paying for 4 to 8 weeks further chiro care and offering me $8350.00 for my pain and suffering is reasonable considering the circumstances. I have missed 2.5 weeks of work.   It seems a few things could have added to my benifit.  I should have gone to the emergency room and racked up and easy $4,000.00 to $5,000.00 with more x-rays and MRI's for the cartilage damage. I could have taken 4-5 weeks off work even though it was probably best to move and work. Then I could have had a better injury case, but that was never my intention.
  They will not budge on that figure.  The welcomed me to seek council if I see fit and I don't know if this is just there poker hand being played but they seem firm.   

[JoeRau]

My wife was rear-ended in a crash 5 years ago.  The other driver's insurance company made an offer of $1000.  In the end after exhausting the $100K in liability coverage from the other driver's policy, and $60K from our Under-insured coverage, she has a spinal fusion in her neck, missed several months of work, and had to find a new position within the company she worked for.  We received very little of the $160K in the settlement.  1/3rd went to the attorney, and we had to pay all the medical care- despite having health insurance coverage.