When you are involved in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, your car may be damaged or even completely written off. You as the driver and any passengers in the car with you may be suffering from injury or a lot of mental distress. Despite what you may have seen on television or in the movies, legal issues involving auto accidents don’t always go to trial. There’s no exciting witness calling and no unruly courtroom.
In fact, trying to get justice and compensation when you’ve been involved a car accident that wasn’t your own fault, can be a long, drawn out process that’s not very exciting at all. If anything, it’s just very stressful. That’s why you need to look to the professionals to handle the complexities of your case.
They will best be able to help you understand if your case will end up going to court or not. Even though every case is different, to help give you at least a general indication of the likelihood, we can discuss this in a bit more detail.
When Can an Automobile Accident Actually Go to Trial?
Normally most car accident claims are settled before they so much as reach a courtroom or a trial. There are, however, some cases where our team can’t help avoiding litigation, cases involving car accidents in Baltimore. Some of the most common reasons car accident cases go to court, include:
- There are at least two or even more defendants who disagree about who was to blame for the auto accident
- The insurer does not accept the medical report you’ve filed as proof of the injuries you sustained in the accident
- The insurer has made an extremely low and unfair compensation offer
- The insurer has denied the legitimacy of your claim and does not want to be responsible for paying out
Before the Courtroom – Pre-trial Settlement
Even in the instance above, your case won’t immediately go to a courtroom and trial. There will still be the chance for a settlement to be agreed upon by both parties outside of court. This is most commonly known as pre-trial settlements.
Generally, this is how most auto accident compensation cases are resolved. No-one, on either side of the case, wants to go to trail, because courtroom trials are costly,
A professional auto accident lawyer is your best hope for avoiding a trial and getting the compensation you deserve in a pre-trial settlement.
If Pre-Trial Settlements Negotiations Fail – Auto Accident Trial
While many will try to work with you and your legal representation to work out a fair settlement for both parties, not all insurers are interested in doing that. This is generally when cases involving car accidents in Baltimore go to trial.
Civil trials, in the briefest of summaries, include opening statements from both sides, as well as witnesses and evidence and liability refutations, if applicable. Both sides then present their closing statements/arguments to a jury, who will decide the result of the legal case.
Obviously, this is a very simple and shorthand version of something that may take weeks, months and even years. The best chance for success, and so you understand what’s happening every step of the way, is to avail yourself of a professional car accident trial attorney.
