One of the first things a lot of our clients tell us when they come into the office is that they want to make the other driver pay. They’re not quite sure what they mean by that, but they know it involves a lawsuit of some sort. We can understand why somebody would feel this way in the days after their car accident. You’re still shaken up from the crash, wondering who’s going to pay to get your car fixed. You may have suffered serious injuries and aren’t sure if you can go back to work. So, when your Buckhead injury attorney mentions the word settlement, it doesn’t sound so bad.
Here, we will discuss the benefits of settling your case as compared to taking it to trial. We’ll also explain the process by which this happens. What we recommend is that you first focus on meeting with one of our skilled Georgia accident attorneys. We will get your version of what happened and, if you haven’t already done so, get your auto insurance claim filed right away. This will at least put the insurance adjuster on notice that you are represented by a Buckhead injury attorney and that they can no longer take advantage of you.
We recommend that you contact our office in the days following your car accident. Take the time to sit down with an experienced Buckhead injury attorney who not only knows the law but also knows how to negotiate with the insurance carriers. They will work hard to get a settlement in your case early on, so it doesn’t have to drag on for months or years.
Most of Our Clients Think They Want Their “Day in Court”
When we first meet with a lot of our clients, they tell us they want their day in court. They want the other driver to take responsibility for the accident and they want them to do it in front of a crowded courtroom. What they don’t realize is that very rarely do car accident lawsuits make it to trial. As mentioned already, more than 95% of these cases settle long before trial. That’s because there are a lot of benefits to settle a case rather than going to court.
Some of the benefits of settling as opposed to going to trial include:
- If you’re case goes to trial, there’s always a chance that you’ll lose and walk away with nothing.
- Trials can be very expensive, given the fact that you’ll have to pay for extra witnesses, depositions, and exhibits.
- It could be a year or longer before the trial judge actually sets your case on his calendar. The civil courts are typically backlogged, but they’ve been even worse ever since COVID.
- If you settle, you’ll walk away with a lump sum of money, and it matter of 30 or 60 days. If you go to trial and win, there’s no telling when you’ll actually see your money.
- Most accident victims need the money from their settlement to survive. Our Buckhead injury lawyers understand that every month you go without a paycheck is one more month you’re closer to losing it all. Not everybody is able to work in the days or weeks following their car accident.
Of course, this list is not exhaustive. There are many other reasons why it’s a better idea to settle than it is to go to trial.
Trials Can Take Years to Come to Fruition
It doesn’t seem fair, but it can take over a year or two for your case to ever make it trial. Our Buckhead injury attorney has personally seen cases go to trial more than three years after the date of the car crash. This is because the civil judges and the courts want you to settle your case. You’ll be required to go to mediation. The judge will also probably make your Buckhead injury lawyer attend a pretrial conference in order to negotiate a settlement of your claim. The day the trial is supposed to start is usually filled with a bunch of motions filed by the two attorneys-motions that can take another several months to be resolved. Sometimes, it just makes sense just sit back and wait for all this time. Since you know your Buckhead injury attorney is never going to settle for less than what you deserve, you should put your trust in them and know that they’re going to do the best they can to get you as much money as possible.
Your Buckhead Injury Attorney Won’t Force You to Accept a Settlement
When our Georgia accident attorneys first mentioned the word settlement to our clients, they usually get a deer in the headlights look on their face. The last thing they want to hear is that there a Buckhead injury attorney is looking forward to settling their case. As far as they’re concerned, they want to have their day in court and tell their story to a jury who is willing to listen. They don’t realize that most car accident lawsuits don’t have a jury involved. Furthermore, more than 95% of all personal injury cases do settle long before trial. The odds of your case being one of the 5% that’s going to require you to go all the way to trial are slim to none.
We suggest that you first contact our office as soon as possible after your car accident. You could even come in and meet with us before you file your insurance claim. This way, we can help you make sure that your insurance claim is for the full amount of money that you deserve. If the insurance company decides they don’t want to pay, there’s nothing you can do to make them pay. Sometimes, our hope is that we will put so much pressure on the defendant to settle the case that they eventually give in. This usually happens right around the time that’s a court orders them to provide our side of the case was discovery. This means it your Georgia accident attorney probably has a good three to six weeks to decide if they’re going to pay your claim.
We do offer all new clients a free, initial consultation. So, you risk nothing by coming into the office and taking advantage of your free consultation with an experienced Buckhead injury lawyer.
