Author: Cheyenne Moeller Meek
If you’re thinking about pursuing a personal injury case, you likely want to know how much it’s worth and how long it might take to reach a favorable conclusion. In initial consultations with clients, we regularly hear concerns about how long a case might take and whether settling a case means leaving a lot of money on the table.
The short answer to both of these worries is that we handle each case in the client’s best interest and every case is different.
The longer answer, however, is that settlement shouldn’t be viewed as an unfavorable compromise. Our team knows how to gather evidence, utilize the discovery process, and negotiate on behalf of our clients to maximize settlement awards that fairly compensate individuals for their injuries.
Factors Impacting Recovery
As noted above, it’s important to realize how unique each case is. Settlement amounts vary widely based on the specific facts of each case. To determine the value of your case, we look at many different factors including the nature and severity of the particular injury in question, medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, property damage, and punitive damages under certain circumstances. One other important factor that often is not thought about is insurance coverage. If there is no available insurance coverage or the person who is negligent does not have the financial means to pay for the damages suffered by an injured person, then there may be no avenue to any type of recovery or recovery will be limited.
The value of each category of damages varies from case to case, and during the discovery phase of a case, we gather information and evidence, and when appropriate, we retain economic expert witnesses in order to support damages in all relevant categories. That evidence is used to support a settlement amount and to negotiate settlements with defendants.
Examples of Our Team’s Settlement Results
When considering settlements, the type of case, injuries involved, and your legal team can all have a major impact on the results you get. Experienced lawyers are able to accurately determine the value of your case and negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf.
Here are just a few examples of the results that our team has achieved for clients:
- Motor vehicle accident: $1,600,000 settlement involving multiple people who suffered serious injuries, one of which was a minor child who suffered a closed head injury.
- Product liability injury: $4,000,000 settlement involving a very serious lumbar spine injury resulting in permanent disability and inability to earn income.
- Motor vehicle accident: $675,000 settlement for a client who suffered a neck injury requiring surgery.
- Slip and fall injury: $900,000 settlement for a client who suffered a severe wrist injury requiring multiple surgeries.
- Premises liability injury: $1,525,000 settlement involving a client who suffered multiple orthopedic injuries as the result of a construction defect that caused her to fall just outside of a hotel.
How Long Will it Take to Settle My Case?
The short answer is, it depends. In many cases involving minor to moderate injuries, we are able to secure a settlement for our clients without having to file suit. Once our clients have finished treatment and recovered from their injuries, we secure medical records and billing statements and submit a settlement proposal to the insurance company adjuster. We then attempt to negotiate a fair settlement. This process can be conducted over a period of only a few weeks after we secure our client’s medical records.
For more serious injuries, we usually recommend to our clients that we proceed forward in litigation since, in our experience, most insurance companies will not put a significant value on a case without the threat of a trial. When litigation is involved, after we file the lawsuit, a case can be settled within a few months, or sometime in hotly contested matters, it could take a few years. It just all depends on the specific facts and circumstances of the case, including the issue of liability (fault), how many witnesses and medical providers are involved, the nature and extent of the injuries, as well as the court’s schedule when it comes to selecting a trial date. Regardless of the case, we take pride in moving the case forward toward trial and a favorable resolution as expeditiously as possible.
Contact Us to Learn More
If you’ve been injured in an accident and want to learn more about the damages you’re entitled to, contact our team. We’ll look at the specifics of your case, your injuries and damages, and the applicable law to help come up with a strategy to get you the compensation you deserve.
Each case is unique, and our team is experienced in helping each of our clients get the best result in their case. Call us today at (225) 771-8100 to learn more or schedule a free consultation.