Personal Injury Victims Make Two Big Mistakes
If you are injured as a result of another I have seen two mistakes often made .
#1 Accepting too little for your injury
#2 Wanting too much for your injury
1. People can accept too little for their injury when they represent themselves or have an attorney who will not go to trial. This is not always the case in every situation , but there are reasons for this. If you represent yourself you really do not know what your case is worth. You are at the mercy of what the insurance company tellls you. They will often tell you not to hire an attorney. Why, so you have to take what they offer you. The insurance research council did a study that showed that people represented by attorney on average end up with more.
Also if you hire an attorney who will not go to court then you are still in the same situation . You are stuck taking what the insurance company offers.
2. Some people want to much for their injury. They have no idea what their case is worth , but feel that since they have been harmed and inconvenienced insurance should pay and pay them a lot. Experienced personal injury attorneys can look at jury verdict research and their own cases and come up with an estimate or range of what the case may be worth. This is an art and not a science. However studies have shown that more people that go to trial end up with less than they would have settled for prior to trial. This again comes from jury verdict research and studies. Now some people are encouraged by their attorney , but many seek a large verdict over the advice of their attorney and end up with less than the settlement offer.
The moral of the story is you got to know when to holdem and know when to foldem. You have to try to set emotion aside and look at the value of your personal injury case as a business decision. If you have a significant case hire a good personal injury attorney who has been to trial and is willing to go to trial if you get a lowball offer. By the same token, if you hire an experienced and seasoned personal injury trail attorney listen to their advice if they tell you a fair settlement has been offered.
by Anthony Castelli Cincinnati personal injury trial lawyer
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