Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rayne]

I was involved in a car accident earlier this month.

My coworker was driving and I was in the passenger's seat. Another coworker was driving in another car and was also in the accident. There were many cars involved in the accident.

I sustained the most injury from the accident. Both my co-workers no longer have to go to the hospital but I still have to do more physical therapy for an unknown amount of time since I still feel pain in my back in the afternoon during work.

Both coworkers have settled with the insurance company but I haven't.

The coworker in the car with me said he got 600,000W from the insurance company (his car sustained damage in the front and back) and he said the other coworker received 400,000W (she was only hit from the back).

However, the other coworker (who speaks much better English) told me that I may get around 6,000,000W.

Which sounds right? The first coworker had trouble telling me the amount since his English is not very good. He said, "I received six... six... hmmm..." and I said, "six hundred won?" and he said yes.
In another conversation, the second coworker immediately said I might get six million won (her English is better).

I assumed that my coworkers would get more money than me because their cars were damaged in the accident. But I got hurt the most so maybe I will get around the same amount? Or it doesn't matter?
Both coworkers visited the hospital for 2 weeks and not longer have to go and received different amounts; I assumed because of the different amounts of damage on their cars. But I was estimated to get the same amount as the coworker I was in the car with. I'm not sure if it's because I was in the same car as him or if I was hurt the most.
The doctor estimates that I will recover in a month.

I've never been in a car accident and have no idea how much compensation I should receive. I'm not sure if I should negotiate with the company for more or if there will even be any negotiation. Or if I have to go to the hospital longer, will I get more compensation? I am an honest person and I definitely will not pretend I am more hurt than I am to get more compensation but I also don't want to be cheated and get less than I deserve.

I am not going to accept the money until I fully recover because my coworker said after I take the money, if I feel worse or something they take no responsibility. But I'd like to know the amount of money I should expect.

Any advice, clarifications, or experiences you have had would be great!

[optik404]

Ask your co-workers to write down the amount they think you will receive. And if you trust them ask them what's best to do in your situation. You may have sustained injuries that will last quite a while.

[rayne]

That's a good idea.

I didn't ask the second coworker to clarify the amount since the first coworker was within listening distance and I didn't want to say he said a very different number, which may embarrass one of them.

[nora]

Ask a doctor what they think.

The rule of thumb is the longer you spend in the hospital, the more you get. Not visit, but STAY in the hospital. 6 million sounds like a decent amount, and if you're just looking at some form of physical therapy, it'd probably be enough. But if you're looking at some serious work - physical therapy over a year or more, possible surgery, possible nerve damage, things of that nature, it could be a fraction of what you need.

Long story short, ask a doctor or two. Get the worst case scenarios from them. Insurance plans will cover quite a bit. My insurance will cover something like a combined half a billion in injuries and damages so don't think that 6 million is a lot. If you need more care than that, then get it.

[rayne]

[b-class rambler]

I very much second the advice, if an appropriate opportunity comes up, to get the co-worker mentioning 6 million to confirm in writing that she really meant 6,000,000.

Bear in mind that Koreans, with their different counting system from 10,000 upwards do get very easily confused with big numbers (just like many of us do in the opposite direction when learning Korean), even those whose language skills otherwise appear pretty good.

Going on my own experience of accident payouts, I'd say it's very unlikely you'd get 6 million Won. Not unless you were in an extremely bad way and had serious permanent damage. And if you had, I'd have thought you ought to have been made aware of how bad it is already.

From the info you gave above, OP, I suspect that the co-worker mentioning 6,000,000 really means 600,000Won. Even if she did really mean 6 million, it doesn't necessarily mean she has any idea what she's talking about. If she does confirm she meant 6 million, I'd suggest pressing her further to ask why she thinks you'd get that much.

Has the insurance company made you a settlement offer yet? By all means, string them along for a while, insist you want to go back for more treatment/medical advice and resist any offers to settle until you've got a lot more info from doctor(s) who you trust about your condition.

However, I'm afraid that, to me, car insurance pay outs in Korea don't seem very generous. Accidents like what yours sounds like happen a lot and are almost considered normal.

Whatever, good luck!

[rayne]

Thanks for the advice. I think I will probably be getting 600,000W.

That number came from the first coworker, the one I was in the car with. I think he said the insurance company said this but I don't remember anymore. It's the amount he got so he could just be guessing.

[Weigookin74]

Like another poster said: find out from your doctor(s) what you will need and what your costs will be. Not only costs today, but long term costs. Long term meaning injuries that prevent you from working or having to work less.

[Captain Corea]

I'm confused why the OP is stuck on his/her coworker's numbers.

Different damages = different pay out.

[b-class rambler]

[rayne]

[jazzmaster]