“I want to put this behind me.”
We get it. No one wants to deal with a prolonged legal case. If you’re willing to accept less money for a personal injury claim, your case can usually be settled faster.
With a personal injury case, you want to settle the case as quickly as possible, but you want to do it without losing potential monetary benefits. Let’s look at what you may lose in a quick settlement and how long a case may last depending on case complications or goals of the settlement.
Why a Case Might Drag On … and On … and On
The main reasons a personal injury case might be prolonged include legal or factual issues; an expected large monetary settlement; or the fact that you have not yet achieved maximum medical improvement.
Maximum medical improvement means that your injuries are unlikely to get better. Your condition will need to be assessed at this point in order to determine a possible settlement sum. If it takes a while for you to recover from an injury, then the case will be prolonged.
As for legal or factual issues, there may be a problem with proving liability or damages. This is often the case if an insurer believes that you have no legal right to sue. In that instance, you would need approval from a judge to further the case. In addition, a case may be delayed if a physician has a difficult time determining whether or not a company’s negligence caused your injuries.
If a case involves a potentially large settlement, insurers will do everything they can to delay or prolong a case. They might do this to get you to settle more quickly for a smaller sum if you are severely injured and need money without delay. For these bigger cases, if you do settle immediately, you might receive just 5% to 35% of the expected trial settlement—in other words, less than half of what you would receive if you pursued a case to the end.
Before you decide how you want to handle a case, make sure to consult a lawyer for advice.
Consult a Professional
If you’re in need of a personal injury lawyer in Louisiana, contact Anderson Blanda & Saltzman for a case evaluation. We are a well-respected, award-winning personal injury firm with more than 100 years of combined experience.
If you or someone you know is in need of legal assistance, contact us for a free consultation today.