Are you aware that the majority of legal claims related to personal injury never make it to court? Many people believe that once they get involved in the legal system that they will inevitably end up in front of a judge. In many cases, this is not reality.
In fact, plaintiffs and defendants in most personal injury cases settle in the majority of instances. If you are thinking about settling your personal injury case, you must consider what you are willing to give up in order to reach a settlement and if you are willing to accept alternative remedies to money.
Why do I have to give up anything?
You absolutely do not. If you are not willing to negotiate at all with the other party, then it is your right to take the case to trial. However, there are some inherent benefits to settling. For instance, reaching a settlement often takes much less time as compared to going through the court system.
Another option is to accept a partial settlement. With a partial settlement, you and the other party can settle on the “easier” issues of your case. This is common when the more difficult issues need longer negotiation or must go to trial.
What other remedies are there?
It is also possible that money is not the most important thing to you. You may wish for the other party to terminate the employment of the individual responsible for your personal injury. You also may wish for the other party to put in additional training or rules so that whatever happened to you will not happen to other people. These non-cash remedies can be an effective part of the negotiation process.