Accidents happen and are an unfortunate fact of life. The thing that we as individuals do have control over is how we choose to react when faced with a personal injury due to an accident. From the legal perspective, there are two routes to resolve these issues, going to court or settling the case out of court. While some may be tempted to go to court, thinking this will lead to the highest possible compensation for the damages they have suffered, there are several disadvantages of going to court.

Here are four distinct benefits of resolving your personal injury case outside the courtroom:

1. Speedy Resolution
When you have been injured in an accident and have to miss work, you need your claim to be settled as fast as possible. Going to court can be long and taxing, taking weeks, months, or even years to complete. This is all before one considers the different appeals that can occur, potentially dragging the process out even longer. By settling your case out of court, a resolution occurs almost immediately. This means that hospital bills can be paid off, lost wages replaced, and peace of mind achieved. Being injured in an accident does not mean that you should wait years to receive the compensation to which you are entitled.

2. Certainty
Court cases are lengthy and complicated processes. No matter how confident you are that the law is on your side, there is always the risk that you have overlooked something or that the other side has a legal trick hidden up their sleeve. Therefore, the court case may fail to be successful for you. Even if it is successful, there is always the risk that appeals will be made that will hold the outcome in limbo for years and potentially alter the damages awarded. You can be sure of the result by settling your personal injury case out of court. You will know the terms of the agreement before signing it and can count on it being carried out.

3. Lower Legal Costs
Settling a personal injury case out of court helps to keep your legal costs down. Because the settlement process is so much faster than the process of going to trial, your lawyer will not incur nearly as many charges. This is important as attorney fees are often paid out of your settlement, so even if you should go to court and win a higher compensation, the legal costs may result in you getting an even smaller final payout than if you had settled.

4. Privacy
Court proceedings are public records. Should you decide to go to trial for your personal injury case, the court proceedings will be available to everyone. Testimony at trial may include details about your personal life, including potentially embarrassing and damaging information. Out-of-court settlements are not matters of public record and therefore are not subject to the same scrutiny as trial proceedings. Consequently, you can be confident that should your case be settled, details of your life that you would rather not share with others will stay unknown.

Have you been injured? Call a Personal Injury Attorney Now!
If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligent or reckless actions, the experienced personal injury attorneys at The GC Law Firm are here to help. Call us at (201) 488-1825 or visit our website to schedule a consultation with our legal team today.