Deciding Whether to Settle or Go To Trial in a Clearwater Injury Case

While there are many different legal options available to someone who has been injured, the only actual legal remedy, or solution, available to someone once they have been injured is monetary compensation. Regardless of if a person acts upon their right to sue for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, or for any loss of consortium they may have with their spouse, the only remedy that can be received is monetary compensation.

It is not possible to go back and ensure that the injury never happens, and in some cases, it is not even possible to alter a dangerous mechanism that may have caused a person to slip and fall, or to change the driving habits of the person that hit them. Most of the time you cannot force things to change, but a Clearwater personal injury attorney can assist in obtaining a monetary remedy for your injuries. En Español.

Considering Settling a Case

A person should not consider settling a case until the insurance company offers full value for it. Sometimes that happens very early in the case; sometimes it happens years down the road. There is no specific date that is appropriate to accept the settlement. If an insurance company is willing to offer an injured individual what their case is worth at the full value two months into the case, the person should settle the case at that time if their treatment is done. If a person still has more medical treatment to go, they should wait until that medical treatment is finished and wait until the insurance company offers full value.

Taking a Case to Trial

An individual should know the true value of their case and the dollar amount of their medical expenses, and what their future losses may be. If the insurance offer is not within a reasonable range to compensate for actual damages, they should consider trying the case.

Initial Consultation with a Personal Injury Lawyer

When a client initially meets with their personal injury lawyer, they should bring the incident report and crash report, along with any information they may have about the at-fault party, whether that is a driver in a car accident case or the location where they slipped and fell. Clients should bring any medical records they have as well as any previous medical records detailing any preexisting conditions. They should bring their health insurance card, auto insurance card, driver’s license, and any other material related to the incident. If there was a slip and fall, they may want to bring the shoes that were worn at the time of the incident. If an individual took photographs of their injuries or the damages done to their car, they should bring those photographs to the initial consultation so that their lawyer is able to begin developing the injury case.

Role of an Attorney

A good personal injury lawyer has experience, understands jury verdicts, and knows the true value of the case at hand. Lawyers play an important role in being able to recognize the expenses involved in taking a case to trial, and can guide you when making a decision about accepting a settlement offer today or taking the risk of a verdict in front of a jury.