Settlement or Trial?

Tyree Eskew and Roberts recently obtained a verdict on behalf of one of our clients who was injured in a car wreck. The case was tried to a jury in Jackson County. The wreck occurred when the defendant lost control of her car in icy conditions on I-70 and ran into our client forcing both cars off of the road.

While not catastrophic, our client was injured through no fault of her own and deserved compensation for those injuries. We attempted to negotiate a settlement prior to filing suit but the insurance company refused to pay what we thought was a fair amount. We filed suit and pushed the case to trial but continued to try to resolve the case through a settlement. Despite those efforts there was no settlement and we took the case to trial.

The Jackson County jury came back with a verdict that was almost twice as much as the insurance company offered for settlement. It was not a huge verdict. It did not make headlines in the newspapers or on television but it went a lot farther in fairly compensating our client that the insurance company was willing to do.

We always try to settle our clients claims without filing suit, if possible, or without the necessity of a trial. Doing so eliminates the risks to our clients and lowers the expenses. However, that is a two way street. If an insurance company refuses to fairly and adequately compensate injured victims then a jury trial may be the only way to achieve a fair result.

In choosing a lawyer make sure that lawyer will explore all options available to avoid a trial but also make sure that lawyer is willing to take the case to trial if necessary.