What does it mean to settle your personal injury case?

When you settle your personal injury case, it means that you and the defendants agree to resolve your case without going to trial. Most often it involves a single lump sum payment in exchange for dismissing all claims for past and future medical bills, lost wages, and general damages.
Things to consider when a settlement opportunity arises:
• Closure: Once you settle, your case is over. You can’t reopen the case if you change your mind to ask for more money. Even if you learn of new medical issues or a surgical recommendation that did not exist before.
• Settlement is achieved through negotiations; it is a process most of the time. Often it is not agreed upon on the same day an offer is made. Be patient.
• Benefits: By settling your case you have several benefits that include removing the uncertainty of the “how’s:” How long will it take for my case to end? How much money will it cost me to get through trial and a possible appeal? How much money will the jury award me? When settling with an insurance company, they have 30 days to pay the agreed upon amount.
So why settle? Settlement does provide a quicker resolution and guaranteed compensation. Trials can be filled with uncertainty – what will the jury think of my case? How much will it cost to try my case (expert fees, depositions, trial exhibits, and the like). But many times, you can settle your case for a very fair amount before you have to incur many of the expenses that are associated with trial. We will guide you through this process, explaining the pros and cons of accepting a settlement offer, providing advice if an offer is fair or not based on our years of experience in handling personal injury claims and based on the latest research available so you have an idea of what juries are awarding people in very similar situations.