People who sustain personal injuries in accidents have the right to recover from individuals who caused the accident due to acts of negligence. Unfortunately, many injured victims decide not to pursue a legal claim because they worry about the stress of going to trial. In reality, however, the large majority of personal injury cases never make it to trial. In fact, only approximately four to five percent of injured victims have to go into the courtroom to resolve their cases. This leads to the question: how are the other 95 to 96 percent of the cases resolved?
Insurance Negotiations
The first step in most personal injury cases is to file a claim with the insurance company of the party at fault for the accident. If the party has a valid auto or property insurance policy, the insurance company should theoretically compensate you for your injury-related losses up to the limits of the policy. Insurance companies do not always offer the full amount you deserve, however, as they profit more when they limit their payouts on claims. Insurance companies can dispute fault, the cause of your injury, or the nature of your injury to justify reducing or denying you a settlement offer. The assistance of an experienced personal injury attorney throughout the claim process can greatly increase your chances of obtaining a sufficient settlement offer, as an attorney can present evidence to support your claims and can negotiate with the claims adjuster.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Methods
In some cases–especially those involving serious injuries–an adequate insurance settlement may not be offered and you must file a lawsuit. However, this does not necessarily mean that your case will go to trial. There are many stages of a case before it reaches the trial phase during which there are many opportunities for reaching a favorable resolution to the case. Your lawyer can advise you on different forms of alternative dispute resolution including the following:
- Mediation;
- Arbitration; and
- Settlement negotiations.
A quality attorney will gather evidence to use during pretrial negotiations to try to get a proper settlement offer to cover your losses. Often, if the evidence of negligence and of your injuries is strong, the opposing party will agree to a settlement so there is no risk of receiving a higher verdict at trial.
Further Reading
Seven People Injured in Accident Just Outside of Boca Raton
Personal Injury Cases Can Arise out of Unusual Circumstances
Contact An Experienced Boca Raton Personal Injury Lawyer For Help
At the law office of Lavalle, Brown & Ronan in Boca Raton, our highly skilled personal injury attorneys seek out the appropriate solutions for the most favorable results in every individual case. We understand that different cases require different legal strategies and approaches and we strive to resolve your case in the most efficient way possible. If your case does need to go to trial in order to obtain the compensation you deserve, our attorneys have the litigation experience needed to zealously represent you in court. Please call our office at 888-646-1315 to schedule a free consultation as soon as possible.