Why You Should Never Accept The First Insurance Settlement Offer

Sansone & Lauber | | Personal Injury Blog
Why You Should Never Accept The First Insurance Settlement Offer

(By Sansone & Lauber – Missouri Personal Injury Lawyers Who Fight for Maximum Results)

After an accident, you’re hurt, stressed, facing medical bills, and wondering how you’ll make ends meet. Then, the insurance company calls and offers you a check. They promise it’s “fair” and “fast.”

Here’s the truth: that first settlement offer is almost never in your best interest.

As seasoned Missouri accident lawyers, we’ve seen this tactic play out thousands of times. Insurance companies know you’re vulnerable. They know you want relief. So, they dangle a lowball offer, hoping you’ll bite. But once you accept, you sign away your rights—forever.

At Sansone & Lauber, we’re here to tell you: never accept the first settlement offer without speaking to an experienced injury attorney. Your case could be worth 5, 10, or even 20 times more than what they first put on the table.

Why Insurance Companies Push Quick Settlements

Insurance companies are not in the business of paying you what you deserve—they’re in the business of protecting their profits. Here’s why they rush you into quick settlements:

  • Minimize Payouts – Their goal is to pay you as little as possible before the full extent of your injuries is clear.

  • Lock You Out of Future Claims – Once you sign, you waive your right to future compensation—even if new medical issues arise.

  • Exploit Your Vulnerability – They know you’re stressed, scared, and financially strapped. They prey on that desperation.

  • Avoid Lawyers – They hope you’ll settle before you call an experienced Missouri injury attorney who will expose their tactics and fight for the real value of your case.

The True Cost of an Injury: What the First Offer Never Covers

When clients come to us after receiving a first settlement offer, the story is almost always the same: the offer doesn’t come close to covering their real damages.

The true cost of an accident includes:

  • Medical Expenses – ER visits, hospital stays, surgeries, prescriptions, rehab, physical therapy, assistive devices, future treatment.

  • Lost Wages – Time missed from work now, plus diminished future earning capacity.

  • Pain & Suffering – Physical pain, emotional trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and the toll it takes on your daily life.

  • Permanent Disability or Disfigurement – Scars, amputations, paralysis, or other life-changing injuries.

  • Loss of Quality of Life – The inability to enjoy hobbies, time with family, or simply living without pain.

Insurance companies’ first offers almost never include the full picture. They focus on what you’ve already paid, ignoring future costs and non-economic damages.

https://content.naic.org/consumer

Why Accepting Early Can Destroy Your Case

Once you cash that first check and sign a release form, your case is closed. Even if your injuries worsen, or you later discover the need for surgery, you’re barred from seeking more money.

Common Mistakes Accident Victims Make:

  1. Settling Before Knowing the Extent of Injuries – Some injuries don’t show up until weeks later.

  2. Ignoring Future Medical Care – Chronic pain, surgeries, or lifelong therapy are rarely factored into first offers.

  3. Not Valuing Non-Economic Losses – Pain and suffering often make up the largest portion of a fair settlement.

  4. Trusting the Insurance Adjuster – Adjusters are trained negotiators. Their job is to save the company money—not help you.

Real-World Example: Lowball Offers vs. Real Case Value

At Sansone & Lauber, we’ve seen it all.

  • A client injured in a Missouri car accident was offered $25,000 by the insurance company. After we fought the case, the jury awarded $1.2 million.

  • In a motorcycle accident case, the insurer’s first offer was $50,000. Our team secured $14.2 million for the client.

  • A slip and fall victim was offered $10,000. After building the case, we recovered $400,000.

How an Experienced Missouri Injury Attorney Fights for You

When you hire Sansone & Lauber, you’re not just hiring lawyers—you’re hiring aggressive trial attorneys who know how to stand up to billion-dollar insurance companies.

We:

  • Investigate every detail of your accident.

  • Work with doctors, economists, and life-care planners to calculate full damages.

  • Use accident reconstruction experts to prove fault.

  • Aggressively negotiate with insurers who try to lowball you.

  • Take your case to trial if they refuse to pay what’s fair.

Our reputation is clear: we don’t settle for pennies. We fight for maximum results.

The Psychological Pressure Insurance Companies Use

Some tactics include:

  • Fake Sympathy – Pretending to care about your recovery while undermining your claim.

  • Urgency Pressure – Saying “this offer is only good for a limited time.”

  • Blame-Shifting – Suggesting you were partially at fault to justify a low offer.

  • Downplaying Injuries – Arguing your injuries are “minor” despite medical evidence.

We’ve seen these games. We shut them down.

Steps to Take Before Accepting ANY Settlement Offer

If you receive a settlement offer, here’s what you should do immediately:

  1. Don’t Sign Anything. Once you sign, you lose all rights to future compensation.

  2. Contact a Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer. An attorney can evaluate your case and compare the offer to its real value.

  3. Gather Documentation. Medical records, wage statements, and accident reports strengthen your claim.

  4. Be Patient. The right settlement takes time—but it can mean hundreds of thousands more in your pocket.

Why Missouri Victims Choose Sansone & Lauber

  • Proven Results – Multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements.

  • Aggressive Trial Lawyers – We prepare every case as if it’s going to trial.

  • No Fees Unless We Win – You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.

  • Client-Focused – We treat your case like it’s the only one we have.

Conclusion: Protect Your Future—Don’t Sell It Short

At Sansone & Lauber, we fight for every dollar you deserve. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, truck crash, motorcycle wreck, slip and fall, or any other serious accident in Missouri—do not accept the first offer. Call us first.

📞 Call Sansone & Lauber today at (314) 863-0500 for a free consultation.

We’ll tell you what your case is really worth—and we won’t stop until you get it.