The insurance company offered me money — should I take it?

Possibly, but almost never at the point the first offer arrives.

Why early offers are low. They're made before treatment is complete, before permanency is determined, and before anyone knows what the medical costs will total. They're also made while the insurer knows more than you do about the available coverage.

What you don't know yet. Whether your injury is permanent. What future treatment will cost. Whether you'll miss more work. And what the at-fault driver's policy limits actually are — which you can compel in writing, covered below.

What signing does. A release ends the claim permanently. If you need surgery in eight months, that's yours.

When early settlement makes sense: minor property damage, a genuinely resolved minor injury, or a case where limits are low and clearly exhausted.

The pressure to decide quickly is the signal. A fair offer doesn't expire.