When you get into a car accident, you are usually either the victim or the driver at fault. In the weeks following an accident, one typically evaluates the damage done by an accident, hires an attorney, and negotiates with the opposing drivers’ attorney and insurance company.
At the end of the day, most car accident cases never actually go to court. A settlement is reached during a stage of negotiations, and both drivers spare themselves the time and costs of court. This is the situation in nearly all personal injury cases of any kind.
However, there are some instances where this isn’t how things play out. What happens in court after a car accident case? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you need to know.
Reasons To Go To Trial
Most car accident cases don’t go to trial and end in the settlement stage. Why might your case be different?
Car accident cases often go to court because the two sides could not agree on a fair settlement amount. If you and the other driver can’t come to a reasonable agreement about who is to blame for the car accident, you might have to go to court to get a final decision.
Even if you’re on the same page about who is at fault for the accident, you might need help determining a fair settlement number. If you keep going back and forth with the opposing insurance company and not getting the amount you might deserve?
That’s a good reason to go to the courtroom and fight for proper compensation.
You hope to see these kinds of things worked out prior to the courtroom, but if there’s really no seeing eye to eye with the opposing side, you might be left without another option.
What Happens In Court At This Point?
The main purpose of your time in the courtroom, then, will be rectifying the issues you couldn’t see eye-to-eye about during the negotiation phase. Your attorney will need to present evidence to a judge that illustrates why you were not at fault, or why the other driver owes you more money than you are currently being offered.
The opposing attorney will argue the opposite points and attempt to sway the judge to their way of seeing things. All kinds of evidence will be presented during a court case. Everything from driver records to the impact of weather on auto accident cases might be discussed and dissected once a case has been taken to trial.
It’s important to show up for all important dates during this part of the process and follow the instructions of your attorney closely. At the end of the process, the judge will make a ruling call and the opposing party will be forced to comply with the court’s orders.
Appearing in Court for An Accident
If you’ve never taken a car accident case to trial, you might not know what happens in court at this stage of the legal process. The above information can help break down for you what to expect in the courtroom.
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