If you are required to pay certain costs from your settlement, such as doctors’ bills, workers’ compensation liens, or medical payments to insurance carriers, then the amount payable to you will obviously be significantly less. However, if all of your medical bills were covered by a health insurance carrier that isn’t expecting to be reimbursed, then the amount left for you will be significantly higher. A knowledgeable First Coast personal injury attorney can further advise you with respect to the particulars of your case.
Additionally, your attorney may be aware of certain statutes, case law, ordinances or legal standards that are applicable (good or bad) in your case. Nonetheless, if there are laws that strongly support your case, your attorney can cite to those in his or her argument, and accordingly, the settlement value may be enhanced.
Keep in mind, though, that it oftentimes can take years before you are able to be heard in court. For instance, if it takes three or four years to go to trial in your jurisdiction and your case is already two to three years old, it will be very hard for a jury to have compassion for a litigant who may have suffered pain from a soft tissue injury that lasted for six months or so several years prior to his or her testimony.
All in all, your final settlement figure will be based on a variety of factors and it is rare that all of those factors will line up in your favor. One factor can make or break you when it comes to the ultimate value of your settlement. If you need a First Coast personal injury attorney, please call John Fagan for a free consultation.