A person who has never gone through a personal injury case before often has many questions about their case. For example, they may wonder: Do personal injury cases settle after deposition? To get an answer to this and other questions, read on. If you have questions about your own case, or you are not sure if you have a case in the first place, reach out to Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.
A Personal Injury Case Can Generally Settle at Any Time
The plain truth is that in most cases, a personal injury case can settle at any time during the process. Whether the case settles or moves forward to a trial will depend on a number of factors, including whether the insurance company is willing to negotiate reasonably. These negotiations can happen at any time – before and after depositions.
Situations in Which Personal Injury Cases Settle Out of Court
The fact is that the majority of personal injury cases settle out of court. This is largely due to the time and expense involved in taking a case to trial – time and expense that applies to both the injured and the at-fault party. The wisest financial decision is often to settle before the case goes to trial.
Again, though these cases can settle at any time, there are some portions of the personal injury case timeline that are more likely to see settlements. First, when an insurance company sees that a person has hired an experienced personal injury attorney, they may be more likely to settle. Second, when a damaging deposition is recovered, the insurance company may realize that you have a strong case and be more likely to settle.
In some cases, a case could go all the way through trial and be settled as the jury is deliberating. This is generally done when either the defense or the plaintiff believes that the case is very likely to not go their way and they would like to reduce the impact of it.
Setting Personal Injury Cases is All About the Evidence
Deciding whether or not to settle a personal injury case is not really about the facts of the case – it is about what you can prove. You may have been in a serious accident in which another party was clearly at fault but if there is no evidence of their fault, or evidence of your injuries, then you are not likely to get the compensation you deserve. In that case, it may be worth it to settle for the maximum the insurance company of the at-fault party will pay.
In other instances, you may have a strong pile of evidence that shows beyond a doubt who was at fault, how serious the accident was, and how serious your injuries were. In that case, you would be much less likely to settle. Your attorney is the best person to give you a better idea of what your specific options are in your specific case. Call Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 now for a free legal consultation.
