Victims cannot wait forever to recover damages from accidents in New Jersey, and our lawyers can help speed up settlement negotiations so that they get compensation as soon as possible.
Settlement negotiations might take several weeks to a few months. The evidence you have to leverage in your case might influence settlement talks, so our lawyers will prioritize investigating the accident immediately. Though settling often seems faster than going to trial, that is not always the case, especially if the defendant intentionally delays negotiations or refuses to offer a fair amount. Whether our lawyers settle your case out of court or prove the defendant’s liability to a jury, you can recover compensation via structured or lump sum payments. Structured settlements are more common and allow defendants to pay victims over several months or years, depending on their financial ability. Our attorneys can ensure the settlement payment plan benefits you as the victim and negotiate according to your best interests before reaching an agreement.
To have the New Jersey car accident lawyers of Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C., assess your case for free, call (201) 777-1111 today.
How Long Does it Take to Reach a Settlement for an Accident in NJ?
Victims start incurring medical damages almost immediately after accidents, which only continue to build as they get the proper treatment. Because of this, most victims need to recover compensatory damages as soon as possible and may do so by settling injury claims.
Average Length of Settlement Negotiations
The overall length of settlement negotiations will depend on your specific case and the evidence our attorneys can leverage against the opposing side. In New Jersey, victims can only sue for auto accidents when their injuries are serious enough, according to N.J.S.A. § 39:6A-8(a). Because of this, many victims enter settlement negotiations with the upper hand, as it is already established that their injuries are serious enough to enable them to sue. Still, being seriously injured is not enough to speed up settlement negotiations. In fact, defendants might try to use victims’ injuries and need for immediate compensation to pressure them into accepting unfair offers quickly, reducing how much they pay overall.
Speeding Up Settlement Negotiations
Negligent drivers might present lowball settlement offers right out of the gate, hoping that victims will accept. While agreeing to initial offers might end your case sooner, it could leave you without compensation for all damages. Before settlement talks, our New Jersey personal injury lawyers will identify and tally all compensable economic and non-economic damages so we understand your total losses before negotiating. We can then compare any offers to our calculation of your damages and quickly assess whether they are fair. Our lawyers can respond to unfair offers with our desired compensation and continue negotiating until the opposing side increases its offer.
Settlement discussions might take anywhere from several weeks to months, depending on the case. When preparing your lawsuit, our lawyers can compile evidence to pressure the defendant into understanding their risk of being found liable for all damages if the case goes to court. As we progress with negotiations, we can gauge the defendant’s willingness to settle to better estimate how long your case will take to conclude.
Will You Get Damages Sooner by Settling Your Accident Case in NJ?
Settling a case out of court does not automatically mean you get your damages sooner. Negligent drivers might intentionally stall settlement negotiations or be non-communicative, delaying a victim’s access to compensation in New Jersey.
Trials are far more structured than settlement negotiations. Instead of informal talks, each side will have the opportunity to present its case to the jury, which will then decide liability. There is a clear timeline to follow, though victims might have to wait for their cases to reach the court docket, which could add more stages and delays to that timeline.
If settlement negotiations progress for some time and stall, our attorneys can determine if it is best to change directions and move forward with a trial. Sometimes, indicating that a victim is ready to go to court is enough to push defendants to settle fairly and quickly, as many defendants want to avoid trials themselves.
When Do You Get Accident Settlement Money After a Lawsuit in NJ?
After agreeing on a settlement amount with the opposing side in New Jersey, our lawyers can arrange a payment schedule that favors you as the victim.
There are two main types of settlement agreements: lump sum and structured settlements. A lump sum settlement is when the defendant pays the entire amount owed to the victim in one payment. Not all defendants are financially able to pay lump sum settlements, and in these situations, defendants might pay victims through structured settlement agreements.
Structured settlements are the most common settlement type because they are easier for defendants to afford. In a structured settlement, our lawyers will break your total settlement agreement into separate payments, likely monthly, which would be paid to you by the defendant until the entire amount is paid. While this might take longer than a lump sum settlement, it does help some victims manage accident settlements when payments are stretched out over longer periods.
If your case goes to court and the jury agrees that the defendant’s negligence caused your injuries, it will award you compensatory damages. The damages awarded will be based on your evidence, so our lawyers will keep detailed records of medical bills, lost income, and other losses to present to the jury. Juries might also award greater non-economic damages than what settlements might provide – another reason why victims may choose to go to court for accident cases in New Jersey.
Call Our NJ Accident Attorneys About Your Case
Call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C., at (201) 777-1111 for a free case analysis from our Hoboken, NJ car accident lawyers.