If you or someone you love gets injured due to the carelessness or negligence of another person, you may end up having to file a personal injury lawsuit in order to recover the compensation you need. However, these cases can become complicated and involve many parties, including insurance companies and lawyers. At Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman, our compassionate and dedicated team is ready to help you through this. Today, our Pittsburgh personal injury attorneys want to discuss settlements – when you should accept one and when to go to trial.
WHAT TYPES OF CASES ARE TYPICALLY SETTLED OUT OF COURT?
There are various ways in which personal injury cases arise. The following instances commonly lead to personal injury lawsuits:
- Impaired driving crashes
- Distracted or inattentive driver crashes
- Workplace injuries
- Commercial truck crashes
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
- Slip and fall incidents
- Defective products
- And more
You will notice that, in many of those cases, insurance companies should be the first resort. Unfortunately, insurance companies are not our friends.
WHEN IS A SETTLEMENT FAIR?
Your attorney will be able to help from the beginning of a personal injury claim process. All communication should be handled by your attorney to ensure you do not say anything to jeopardize your settlement.
You will receive an initial settlement from an insurance company, but please understand this settlement is going to be well below what you likely deserve. In many cases, you will have to file a lawsuit in order to get more compensation. Your attorney will be able to work with experts to properly calculate all of your current and future losses due to the injury.
There will be back and forth between your attorney and the defendant’s legal team over settlements. Most cases are settled out of court once a fair settlement is offered. However, that does not always guarantee a fair settlement will be offered.
YOU MAY NEED TO GO TO TRIAL
If you do not receive a settlement that will cover all of your injury expenses, your attorney should be willing to go to trial in your case. There are risks to this strategy. At trial, you have to prove your case in front of a jury, and a loss could mean you receive nothing. However, winning a trial could lead to much larger settlements. In consultation with your attorney, you will have to base all settlement decisions on the strength of your case and whether or not you are being offered an amount that is truly fair.
YOU NEED TO SECURE THE COMPENSATION YOU DESERVE
One of the most important questions you need to be answered during the personal injury process is – Should we accept this settlement?
This is not a question you should make on your own. At Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman, we are ready to step in and help you get through this. Let our knowledgeable and experienced team get to work securing the compensation you deserve. If you need a Pittsburgh personal injury attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 888-988-9467.