Court is not a place a lot of people ever want to go because there is something very unsettling about being in the presence of a judge and/or jury that can make a decision that could affect the rest of your life. In a personal injury case that goes to trial, a jury decides. However, not every personal injury case has to go that far.
If you have been injured because of someone else’s negligence, it is important to not be afraid of the legal process. Not filing a personal injury claim means having to pay the medical expenses and other resulting costs out of your pocket. If your earning potential is limited because of injuries, the bills can pile up very quickly, making it impossible to pay them before they enter the collections process.
At Brotherly Law, we will file your personal injury claim for you and aggressively pursue maximum compensation as soon as possible. We will provide you with the guidance you need to make informed decisions during your auto accident lawsuit since the decisions you make can alter the outcome.
Personal injury claims have different phases. You have the pre-lawsuit filing stage, the post-lawsuit filing stage, and the personal injury trial. The first thing that you must do with your attorney is decide whether or not you are willing to attempt to settle the claim before filing the lawsuit. If not, the decision will have to be made on whether or not to go to trial. The question then becomes whether or not you should go to court.
Making the decision of whether or not to settle a claim or involve the courts is important and it can be difficult. You want to receive the most compensation possible for your injuries, so the decision is one that has to be carefully made. If the defendant’s insurance company or lawyer offers a settlement that satisfies all or most of what you want from the claim, then you may want to settle out of court.
The other side of the spectrum is when there is not agreement on the value of the claim. If you don’t like the settlement being offered because it doesn’t properly compensate you, you have the right to file a lawsuit against the defendant. Sometimes this simply leverages the negotiations, but shows you have the intention of taking the matter to trial if you have to.
Most civil cases never make it to the trial process and there are reasons for that. Those reasons include:
When a settlement is reached, a binding contract is created and this contract guarantees payment and closes the case. After this, the plaintiff is unable to pursue the matter any further. If the case goes to trial, the appeals can become lengthy before the case is closed and a damage award is finally paid. Many injury cases that have gone to trial have taken years before any money is seen. Then again, there are times when a case can’t be settled fairly without trial, despite it being clear that the defendant is liable, making it worth the wait for some because of the large monetary award in the end.
Whether or not your case goes to court, it is important that you receive the proper guidance from the moment you make the call to our firm. We are there for you with answers to your questions and will advocate for you at the settlement table and/or in the courtroom. At Brotherly Law, our concern is that you get the compensation that you deserve so that you can establish a better quality of life after the accident. To learn more about how we can help you through this difficult time, call us at (215) 545-8500 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
If you have been injured due to no fault of your own, you may be able to hold the responsible party accountable for the monetary damages resulting from the accident. Fill out the form below to request a free consultation so we can evaluate your case.