How Are Personal Injury Settlements Different From Jury Verdicts?
If you’ve never filed an injury claim before, you may not know that these types of cases don’t typically go to trial. Most injury cases end with settlements. A settlement is an agreement between parties, usually negotiated between lawyers or insurance adjusters, that ends a dispute and rewards the victim with compensation. On rare occasions, your case might go to trial and result in a jury verdict. Keep reading to learn how personal injury settlements differ from jury verdicts.
Personal Injury Settlements
When you have been the victim of negligence that resulted in injury or the death of a loved one, you may have a personal injury case. The party that was negligent is held liable for the actions that led to the injury or death. For example, if you are injured in a car accident, the person who caused the accident uses their insurance policy to pay for your damages, and you are able to file a claim with the insurance company so they might pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.
At this point, you would contact a lawyer to help you through the claim filing process and negotiation. Your attorney would speak with the insurance adjuster and try to come to an agreement about how much in damages they should pay you based on medical bills, property damages, pain and suffering, and more. The amount of time it takes to reach an injury settlement is different for each case, because it depends on a variety of factors. Some of these factors include the amount of time it takes for your injuries to heal or the amount of time it takes for you to reach maximum medical improvement.
Agreeing to a settlement offer guarantees you will be awarded something, but if you go to trial, it is up to a jury to decide if you receive compensation.
Personal Injury Cases Going to Court
There are a few reasons why a personal injury case may go to court. When dealing with insurance companies, you may go to court because the companies dispute liability and refuse to offer compensation, offer you significantly less money than what your claim is worth, or blame you for causing part of the accident or your injuries.
If your case does go to court, there are several things that will happen before the trial begins. The court will set a date, assign a judge to your case, go through a pre-trial discovery, mediation, deposition, and more. Due to all of these factors, it could take a long time for your case to go through the court system and you receive compensation.
Most of the time, you won’t have to worry about your case going to trial. Insurance companies and other attorneys will want to settle out of court because it is expensive and time consuming.
No matter if your case ends with a settlement or you go to court, you will want an experienced lawyer by your side. Your lawyer will walk you through every step of your case and give you legal advice along the way. Contact one of our personal injury lawyers today to discuss your options and next steps.
