Quote Quoting Mr. Knowitall
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You can make a claim with all three insurance companies. (That doesn't mean you'll get a triple recovery, but you can let them address issues of liability between themselves.) You have to be very careful when negotiating with multiple insurance companies, as settling with one can significantly impair your ability to negotiate with the others (who will likely argue that you were fully compensated and that the party that settled was the responsible party) and you may inadvertently release the other possible defendants by virtue of the release form you execute.
True. A personal injury release is generally worded so that it totally releases all parties from further liability.

However, things get a little more completed when a minor is injured. The minor's claim survives until her 20th birthday.

If a settlement is reached CA law requires a judge to conduct a hearing to determine if the terms of settlement are in the child's best interest. Andressr, you can read more about it at:

http://www.victimslawyer.com/recover...in-california/

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Quote Quoting andresrr
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it is my understanding that I cannot make a claim with any company but my own. It is the insured that would have to make them. And I have not gone that route except for with the dog owner.
What you are actually doing is making an allegation of negligence against another person and that person's insurance company is stepping in to represent that person. That's what generally is meant by "filing a claim against an insurance company."

Quote Quoting andresrr
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My daughters physical injuries were moderate I suppose. She had the one significant gash that required six stitches and one puncture/hole. It was extremely scary looking at the time. The stitches looked even scarier, as it did during the first week after the incident. We were very concerned.

Now two weeks out, it doesn't look quite as bad. I think see was lucky from that standpoint because the bigger scar runs across her jaw line. It isn't as visible as it could be and appears to be healing well. As for my daughters psyche, she is at least somewhat affected. She is already sensitive about people looking at the scar, and on her first day back as school asked my wife to apply makeup to hide it. She doesn't want to talk about it at all.

Hopefully this information provides some useful insight.
It does. And, frankly, it kind of relegates your daughter's injury to small claim status.

Quote Quoting andresrr
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As to the update, I got a call from the State Farm adjuster this afternoon. It was during work hours, where I do not have much reception, so I missed it. I did not call back because I was not sure what to do. But I figure I will need to figure it out quickly.
Go ahead and call back. You risk nothing by having a discussion with the claim rep. Just be a little cagey with the details of the incident as you weren't a witness to it. Best thing you can do at this point is let the claim rep do the talking, take notes, and don't get into any discussion about the merits because you'll likely say something you'll regret later.

I suggest that you decline any requests for recorded statements at this time.

Then sit down with your son and daughter and have them write statements as to what happened. It's best to do that early while memories are fresh.

Then talk to an attorney before you decide whether to hire one or handle this yourself.