When should you settle?
There are many factors to consider, some of the more obvious ones are:
1. A fast settlement in a case of serious or catastrophic injury case is generally risky. It is risky in the sense that the amount of the settlement may be too low because everyone (especially the opposing party) tends to assume that you will recover significantly. If it turns out that you do not recover enough to return to similar or suitable work, your settlement may not be large enough to take into account a large part of your future income loss. In serious cases, consider not to settle within the first approximately 18 months, to allow for a better appreciation of the permanent nature and extent of your future problems.
2. If you have pending surgery, tests, or operations, it might be a good idea to wait to see how you will recover after the surgery. Similarly, if you are attempting to return to modified work, it might be a good idea to wait in order to see if you in fact can do the work.
3. For children who sustained serious injuries, it is frequently best to wait for some years to maximize recovery and to determine the full residual levels of impairments. This is more appropriately so in cases where serious brain injuries are involved, as brain impairments can take many years in children to manifest.
4. It all goes back to the starting point and that starting point is whether or not you have retained an experienced and dedicated lawyer. If you are indeed represented by a reputable and responsible injury lawyer, his or her recommendation to settle can be a good indication that it is a right time. Your lawyer should explain to you the major types of compensation that you may be entitled to, your strong as well as weak points in your case for you to consider everything together in deciding whether to settle.
There are many factors to consider, some of the more obvious ones are:
1. A fast settlement in a case of serious or catastrophic injury case is generally risky. It is risky in the sense that the amount of the settlement may be too low because everyone (especially the opposing party) tends to assume that you will recover significantly. If it turns out that you do not recover enough to return to similar or suitable work, your settlement may not be large enough to take into account a large part of your future income loss. In serious cases, consider not to settle within the first approximately 18 months, to allow for a better appreciation of the permanent nature and extent of your future problems.
2. If you have pending surgery, tests, or operations, it might be a good idea to wait to see how you will recover after the surgery. Similarly, if you are attempting to return to modified work, it might be a good idea to wait in order to see if you in fact can do the work.
3. For children who sustained serious injuries, it is frequently best to wait for some years to maximize recovery and to determine the full residual levels of impairments. This is more appropriately so in cases where serious brain injuries are involved, as brain impairments can take many years in children to manifest.
4. It all goes back to the starting point and that starting point is whether or not you have retained an experienced and dedicated lawyer. If you are indeed represented by a reputable and responsible injury lawyer, his or her recommendation to settle can be a good indication that it is a right time. Your lawyer should explain to you the major types of compensation that you may be entitled to, your strong as well as weak points in your case for you to consider everything together in deciding whether to settle.