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May 3, 2020
Should You Settle Your Personal Injury lawsuit?
What is a Good Settlement?
First and foremost anybody going through a personal injury lawsuit resulting from a car accident should review their finances and get projections of their medical bills and car repairs as well as estimates of how long they will be unable to work. Look up your state’s laws, each have different rules as to what entitles an individual for insurance money due to a car accident. If the settlement your insurance company offers is sufficient to cover your expenses, don’t be greedy. Take the money and get well.

Why not be Greedy?

Even if you are severely injured and deserve a better settlement, the justice system is not perfect and insurance companies have good lawyers. Even if you win and get more money, personal injury lawsuits can costly and long. Not to mention stressful, and any sort of mental of physical strain will likely exacerbate the pain and impairment caused by an injury from a car accident. There is also the possibility of losing and getting nothing, which is especially callous if the injured party cannot pay their bills due to missing work, or cannot go to work because they no longer have a working car. It is often better to take what might be a low settlement instead of bargaining for a better one.When not to settle.As imperfect as the justice system is, even in car accident cases resulting in personal injury, people can still put their trust in it. Depositions from yourself and the other party of the accident, as well as those of witnesses, that are reliable and favorable to your case can be a huge help. Even attempting a lawsuit under favorable circumstances might make an insurance company decide to increase their settlement for your personal injury.

The Most Important Call of All.

No matter what the results of your own research into personal injury lawsuits are, make sure to call a lawyer experienced in these types of cases. They are likely to have insights into state laws that you might be unfamiliar with, even if you do know a thing or two about personal injury lawsuits resulting from car accidents. Consider the council of a reputable lawyer highly, but remember that a lawyer is a servant you are hiring. The decision is yours, not theirs, make it an informed one.
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May 3, 2020
After a Car Accident, What to Expect From a Lawsuit
Anyone who has suffered injury or damage to their vehicle as a result of a car accident must decide whether to file a lawsuit. As a general rule, hiring a lawyer will cost about a third of whatever the settlement is. Dealing with the insurance company directly could result in a much lower settlement.

The goal of a lawsuit is to put the person and property in the same position they were in before the accident. This is called restitution. A car accident can cause injuries, loss of work and damage to the vehicle. Pain and suffering may also be taken into account.

The medical costs of the plaintiff will form part of the lawsuit, so the attorney will advise their client to provide itemized medical bills including all visits to the doctor as well as the emergency room and any physiotherapy afterwards. The costs of diagnostic tests and x-rays must be included. The claimant should be advised to make their attorney aware of any previous injuries similar to those suffered in the accident.

The part of the lawsuit dealing with lost work may result in questions concerning recovery time. If it is felt that this has been extended unnecessarily, it will be queried by the defendant’s insurance company.

Damage to the vehicle will be assessed by an independent assessor, who will determine whether all the damage occurred as a result of the accident. If the cost of repairing the car is considered to be greater than its value, then the defendant’s insurers will offer a price based on the cost of a similar vehicle. The plaintiff may also sue for car hire costs while they were unable to drive the vehicle.

Most attorneys try to settle their client’s lawsuit without going to court. If the accident victim feels they should be compensated for pain and suffering, it may not be possible to avoid court. The lawyer will seek compensation based on accepted practices and take into account any aggravating circumstances such as drunk-driving. The court will then decide whether this is a reasonable part of the lawsuit.

In extreme cases, a judge may grant a higher award because of permanent loss or injury.

Emotional damage is often part of a lawsuit. This is difficult to determine even in court, and in general, large sums are not awarded for this. An accident victim who feels very angry about the other driver may ask for punitive damages. The court has to have clear evidence of serious fault against one driver before they will award this.

Even with a reasonable settlement at law, accident victims often feel that the goal of returning them to the state they were in before the accident has not been achieved as a result of the lawsuit.
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