Learn the advantages of settling your personal injury case.
Every day across the United States, accidents happen. Dog bites, defective products, car or truck accidents can often lead to serious injury and a great deal of stress and anxiety for the victim.
If you have been hurt in an accident, you may be facing overwhelming bills and a need for ongoing medical treatment. Contacting a skilled personal injury attorney is the first step in moving forward with your life. Once the process has been started, you have two primary options regarding how to proceed: settling the case or going to court. While there is no one right answer for how to best resolve your case, there are certain advantages to settling. Read on to learn why a settlement might be advantageous in your case.
To Move Forward With Your Life
In many personal injury cases, the victim has increasing bills and may be out of work for an extended period of time. Going to court requires a lot of time — sometimes years — and can be incredibly stressful. One of the biggest advantages of settling a case is that it is usually a much faster process, allowing you to move forward with your life much more quickly.
If you decide to settle a case outside of court, you will receive a check for your damages almost immediately. This will allow you to pay outstanding bills, replace lost wages, and gain peace of mind as you recover from your injuries.
To Gain Certainty
While going to court is always an option in a personal injury case, there is no guarantee that you will get the outcome that you desire. Even if the law is on your side and you believe that you have a strong case, a judge or jury could still decide against you — or award you far fewer damages that you believe that you deserve. Even if you win your case, the other side may file an appeal, which will drag the process out even more. Going to court is a gamble. A settlement is more certain.
Knowing exactly how much money you will receive and the terms of the settlement agreement can be incredibly beneficial. You will be able to plan your future better, including your financial situation, once you know what the settlement amount will be.
To Maintain Your Privacy
A court case is a public record, which means that if you go to court, anyone will be able to see the details of your case. This may include incredibly private information, such as your medical conditions, personal relationships, and issues with drugs or alcohol. People can sit in court and watch the testimony as it occurs, or access court filings to read what happened in your case. The public nature of these proceedings can be challenging for many victims of accidents.
By contrast, a settlement is private. When you settle your case, the documents will not be public records. A settlement may be a good way to keep your private life private — while allowing you to move forward with your life.
To Lower Your Legal Costs
In most cases, personal injury attorneys are paid through contingency fees, which means that they receive a percentage of the total award amount. The percentage that the attorney gets is usually higher if the case goes to trial than if the case settles. In addition, all costs — such as payment for expert witnesses or preparation of exhibits — are deducted from your award or settlement. Because settling a case usually occurs much more quickly than going to trial, a settlement usually helps to keep legal costs low so that you owe less in fees and other costs.
The decision to settle a case or go to trial is made by you — the client — in consultation with your personal injury attorney. Each case is different, and there is no right answer for whether it is better to settle or go to trial. Contact the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker today at 800-333-0000 or info@larryhparker.com to learn about how we can help you recover for your losses. We offer free consultations and we never charge a fee unless we get money for you!
