If you are involved in a Georgia car
accident, one of the major questions you may have is whether to choose an out
of court settlement or sue in court. Making a choice can be a daunting task.
However, the fact is that most victims resolve their car accident
insurance claims via a settlement without any lawsuit being filed.
Yet, there can be advantages if you file
a lawsuit and let a judge or jury determine your case. According to Columbus,
GA accident lawyers, all injury cases are not alike. Therefore, it would be
prudent to understand the pros and cons of both options.
An
Out of Court Settlement
Advantages
There are a few distinct benefits of an
out of court settlement. This includes:
- You can most likely be paid quicker.
- The legal expenses are significantly lower.
- You do not have to attend several court proceedings such as hearings, trial, and depositions.
- Avoid unpredictable jury decisions and the possibility of not earning any compensation if you lose the trial.
Initiate
Settlement with a Demand Letter
A demand letter is the customary way to
settle injury claims. However, this requires plenty of preparation that
includes gathering evidence and other paperwork. You will need to request your
healthcare provider to provide all your medical records.
This might take a few months and medical
providers might charge you a fee for making the records available. According to
Georgia accident attorneys, in case you missed work, you will need to gather
relevant employment records that indicate your usual working hours and the
salary received prior to the injury.
After gathering the relevant records,
the next step is to draft a concise and well-written demand letter. Narrate all
the incidents and details concerned with the injury, such as how the auto accident
occurred, details of witnesses, and the precise amount spent on medical
treatment, if possible. Columbia, GA accident lawyers recommend that you
enclose all the medical records with the demand letter before handing it over
to the at-fault driver’s insurance company or attorney.
Next is the negotiation process, which
is where an attorney’s help will prove most valuable.
You need legal help. You need to form a
team. Have you seen the movie When the Game Stands Tall? This team won the big
game and many games because they played as a team. This team was coached by Bob
Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel who should have won an Oscar in the Passion of the
Christ which was the best movie in 2004 and he was the best actor - Jim Caviezel
should have won best actor) who is perhaps the best high school football coach
in the country. He knows how to form a team and how to win as a team.
You need that valuable teammate. Without
legal help, you will lose your accident case and leave a lot of money on the
table that the opposing insurance company would rather not give you. Press
right here Accident.USAttorneys.com, make
it happen!
If you practice distracted driving, you should have a Columbia, GA accident lawyer on speed dial. |
Going
to Court
To begin with, you or your legal team
will present a legal complaint to the appropriate court. The complaint must be
served to the other driver as well through a law enforcement officer or process
server. Usually the defendant has 20 days to respond to the complaint.
Next is the process of discovery where
both the plaintiff and the defendant have the right to seek information from
each other via interrogatories and depositions. This is followed by the trial
where the judge/jury will weigh the evidence presented and determine your case.
Preparation as well as representation
during trial can be both expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, if you are a victim
of an auto accident, it would be prudent to hire the services of a
Georgia accident lawyer to evaluate your case. USAttorneys.com is where you
need to go.
Contact us if you have any questions. We
will probably call you back shortly thereafter.
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