Your drunk driving accident claim may settle out of court. The American Bar Association (ABA) explains that civil cases more often end with a settlement than by going to court. However, our firm will only agree to a settlement if it compensates you fairly for your damages.
Why do Drunk Driving Accident Victims Often Settle?
Settling may provide benefits for both drunk driving accident victims and defendants. However, from your perspective, a settlement may be preferable if:
- You receive a fair settlement offer from the drunk driver
- Settling is quicker than going to trial, which it generally is
- Settling is less costly than going to trial, which is typically the case
- You face financial stress and want to obtain compensation as soon as possible
These are potential benefits of settling. If conditions are not suitable to settle your case, our team will advise you not to settle. A settlement must cover all your accident-related losses, both current and future, since you won’t get another chance at recovery.
Factors That Could Lead Us to Take Your Case to Trial
Possible challenges to settling your case include:
- Insurance companies or attorneys negotiating in bad faith
- Disagreement about who is at fault for your accident
- Controversy about the share of liability for your accident
- Disputes about which of your losses entitle you to compensation
Whether to go to trial will rest on this question: does your best settlement offer cover all your accident-related losses? If the answer to this question is “yes,” then your drunk driving accident claim may settle out of court.
How do We Value Your Case?
There is a process for deciding whether to settle or go to court. We must first determine the value of a fair settlement by following these steps.
Understanding Your Injuries
The nature and severity of your injuries are highly relevant to your case. Therefore, we might work with medical professionals to understand your injuries and symptoms.
Understanding Your Symptoms
Symptoms and long-term effects of your injuries may be just as important as the injuries themselves. Therefore, our team might speak with you and your medical team to identify all your symptoms.
Identifying All Other Losses
Medical bills resulting from your injuries and treating their symptoms may be a significant loss but not your only one. You could also recover these damages:
- Vehicle repairs
- Replacement or repair of personal property
- Lost income
- Diminished earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Reduced quality of life
Our team will make a complete record of your losses and present them during settlement negotiations.
Determining the Value of Your Losses
Each of your damages has a value. It is our firm’s job to determine what each is worth. The severity of your accident and the resulting damages will largely determine the value of your claim. We can then pursue a fair settlement.
Can a Lawyer from Our Firm Help You Settle Your Case?
We can certainly help with your case. Your unique circumstances will determine whether we settle your case or go to trial.
What are some of the benefits of working with a lawyer?
The Ability to Focus on Your Recovery
Your time is limited after a drunk driving accident. In addition to the everyday responsibilities of your life, you now must focus on your recovery by:
- Regularly visiting with your doctors
- Undergoing surgery
- Resting to avoid further injury
- Rehabilitating your injuries
These are not only time-consuming requirements. These duties will also make it far more difficult for you to focus on a drunk driving claim. If you complete your claim on your own, then your claim and recovery may both suffer.
A Law Firm’s Resources
Our firm has vast resources that could work in your favor:
- Accident investigators
- The ability to hire experts for your case
- A team of attorneys and paralegals
Our firm also has something that you cannot buy – experience.
What Our Firm will do for You
- Defend your rights: We protect your rights from the moment that we accept your case. Insurance companies and opposing attorneys will have to contact us rather than speaking with you directly. Thus, we can keep you from inadvertently making statements that harm your claim.
- Guide your case from start to finish: Our team handles any tasks necessary to complete your case. Case-related paperwork, phone calls, meetings, and other duties are all our responsibility.
- Negotiate a settlement or complete a trial: We finish your case. The resolution to your case may either be a settlement or judgment.
Call Sevenish Law Firm, P.C. Today
We may have a limited time to file your drunk driving accident claim. IC § 34-11-2-4 generally allows you two years to file a personal injury case. By calling our team as soon as you can, you may reduce the risk of any case deadlines expiring.
Call Sevenish Law Firm, P.C. today at 317-720-3229 for a free consultation. Do not try to handle a drunk driving accident claim on your own. Let us help you today.
