Yes, you absolutely can reject an offer of settlement on your Massachusetts bodily injury claim from a motor vehicle accident. Sure, most personal injury claims are resolved by settlement. This is also true for those injury claims that end up in a personal injury lawsuit in the Massachusetts courts. What is not common is for an injury claimant or plaintiff to accept an insurer’s first settlement offer.
For the same reason a skillful injury attorney would submit a demand for settlement with a demand amount greater than what would be accepted to actually settle the claim, insurance adjusters typically offer much less than they have authority to settle the claim or case. So, if an auto insurance company is making a settlement offer, they usually have room to increase their offer.
You should always discuss the best course of action with an experienced Massachusetts accident attorney when a settlement offer is made. A personal injury lawyer will, almost certainly, advise you not to accept the first settlement offer. Of course, there are always exceptions. This is why you should seek out expert opinions of a Massachusetts injury lawyer.
If a settlement offer is rejected by the injured party, the settlement discussions will continue. Generally, when a settlement offer is rejected, the injured party should make a counteroffer demand to settle.