About a week ago, my wife was traveling to work on an interstate feeder road. Rush hour, and traffic was backed up at the stop light. She comes to a full stop. Suddenly she is plowed into from behind by Vehicle A, which accordioned her into the truck in front of her and then the truck hit the car in front of it. (4 car crash) She's stunned and sore, but no obvious injuries. Take her to the ER to get checked out. no x-rays or other tests, just triage and quick exam by Dr (PA?) who gives a script for muscle relaxants and says to take OTC pain meds (Tylenol and ibuprofen)
Driver of Vehicle A admits fault and her insurance (Geico) accepts liability. We're offered a quick settlement for the ER visit of "up to $15,000". I know nothing of ER costs, other than they are high, so I am leery of this "up to" settlement. Call the hospital, who says they can't produce a bill for 30 days (really?!), but so far all the have is an ER charge for <$2k, but that doesn't include Dr fees. I call the Dr billing service, who says they've gotten nothing from the hospital (really?!), although they are aware of my wife going to a hospital. They can give no guidance.
Geico is pushing to know if we will accept the settlement. (Note: other than this "up to" clause, I am ok with the rest of Geico's offer.)
Anyone have any experience with this kind of thing? Offer any advice?