Dallas Car Accident Attorney: The Disadvantages of a Private Settlement

This week, we talked about the advantages of a private, out-of-court settlement for your Dallas car accident case – advantages that usually include lower costs, a quicker timeline, a sure outcome, and possibly more privacy.
However, out-of-court settlements are not always the right decisions (and are sometimes not even a possibility at all). Here are a few possible disadvantages of an out-of-court settlement:

• The settlement might not be enough. An out-of-court settlement is often a compromise, which means that you may not get as much money as you would from a favorable court decision. If you have a severe, permanent injury that will require a lifetime of care, an out-of-court settlement may not be enough to cover your costs.
• The defendant may escape negative publicity. May injury victims file lawsuits because they don’t want what happened to them to happen to others. One of the advantages of an out-of-court, private settlement for defendants is that they are better able to stay out of the limelight and less likely to learn a hard lesson about what they have done wrong. In fact, part of the settlement may be that you are not allowed to discuss the case publicly at all.
• Negotiations may come to an impasse. Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of out-of-court settlements is that they aren’t a sure thing – both sides have to agree to the terms. Some attempted out-of-court settlements stall after weeks or months, sending the case to court in the end anyway.

When deciding whether an out-of-court settlement is right for you, speak with your personal injury attorney about the pros and cons of that resolution in your case. If you are looking for the assistance of a Dallas car accident attorney, call the Rasansky Law Firm today.