In general, there are two possible ways for a person injured by the reckless or negligent actions of another party to secure a personal injury recovery, through a jury or trial judge verdict, or through a settlement with the responsible party and their insurance company. However, the U.S. government estimates that only 4-5% of all personal injury claims in the U.S. actually go to trial, with the other ~95% ending in some kind of settlement.
While this may come as a surprise to many considering the common Hollywood portrayal of “the courtroom battle”, upon closer examination the benefits that a settlement can have for both sides of any personal injury claim become quite clear.
Hamilton Personal Injury Attorneys Discuss the Benefits of Settling Your Personal Injury Claim
One of the primary reasons that injured parties tend to resolve their personal injury claim through a settlement rather than seeking a trial verdict is the greatly reduced timeline involved. Presenting evidence to a court of law, debating that evidence with the opposing party, filing and responding to motions and requests for information, and awaiting a final decision can take months, if not several years. On the other hand, negotiating a fair settlement outside of a court of law can be a significantly faster process.
Considering the medical expenses that can result from a serious injury, and the potential that you may not be able to work in order to pay these expenses, this reduced timeline for securing a personal injury recovery can be extremely beneficial to you and your family in many situations.
Why Will the Insurance Company Want to Settle My Mercer County Personal Injury Claim?
So beyond the advantages you may find with settling your Mercer County personal injury claim, insurance companies are also incentive many times to settle your claim as well. Firstly, corporate legal counsel is not cheap, and the longer the insurance company needs to pay for their services to represent their interests during your personal injury claim, the more their own expenses begin to become prohibitive.
In addition, many insurance companies prefer the certainty of settling for a number they have some say in, rather than risking a highly unpredictable trial judge or jury verdict of which they have no control over.
Trenton Personal Injury Lawyers Help You to Secure a Fair Outcome
Importantly however, just because many personal injury claims result in a settlement rather than a jury or trial judge verdict, that doesn’t mean you have to settle your claim, or accept the first offer the insurance company makes for your claim. In fact, the insurance company’s first settlement offer will almost be an extremely unfair offer to you, as this offer is usually made before any real investigation into the full extent of your injuries and the resulting damages can be done, either by the insurance company or your Trenton Personal Injury lawyer.
Critically, as soon as you accept any settlement offer for your injuries, you can no longer pursue a personal injury claim for those same injuries should your damages prove to be higher than the offer you accepted. This means that the settlement you accept (if you do, and don’t decide to instead pursue a trial of some kind) needs to fully and fairly cover all of your damages, both present and future.
This is one of the many areas that retaining the counsel of an experienced personal injury lawyer can be of enormous benefit to you, as your attorney will be able to help you accurately determine how much you should be seeking in terms of medical expenses, lost income, and physical and emotional pain and suffering, and then work with you and the insurance company of the liable party(s) to obtain full and fair compensation.
Contact Our Ewing Accident and Injury Attorneys Today
At The Law Office of Cohen & Riechelson, our attorneys have extensive experience recovering injury compensation for our clients and their families in towns across New Jersey and Mercer County, including Hamilton, Lawrence, Trenton, Ewing, Princeton, and Pennington.
If you or a loved one has been injured by the reckless or negligent actions of another party in any kind of accident, including a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, construction accident, a slip and fall, by a dangerous or poorly maintained property, by a defective product, or any other kind of accident, our firm is ready to provide you with the attentive, knowledgeable, and highly effective legal service that you need and deserve in such complex and life-changing matters.
To speak with our legal team today in a free and confidential consultation regarding your accident, your injuries, and how we can help you and your family to recover full and fair compensation through a settlement or a trial verdict, please contact us online, or through our Hamilton, NJ office at (609) 528-2596.
