Auto accidents often cause devastating injuries, and victims may need help covering the many damages associated with a crash, which our lawyers can assist with during lawsuits against negligent drivers.
When preparing car accident lawsuits in Havre Grace, our lawyers may prioritize collecting eyewitness statements. Witnesses can give firsthand accounts confirming a defendant’s negligent conduct during an accident, so we will promptly contact them for interviews. We may be able to leverage eyewitness statements over negligent drivers to get better out-of-court settlements, especially if other evidence corroborates their statements. It can take time to get a fair settlement offer from the defense, and our lawyers can continue asserting you deserved damages and take your case to trial if doing so is necessary for a fair recovery.
To discuss your case for free with Rice, Murtha & Psoras, call our car accident lawyers today at (410) 694-7291.
Getting Eyewitness Statements for Your Havre de Grace Car Accident Case
Eyewitness statements can be some of the most valuable evidence in car accident lawsuits. In addition to corroborating statements from crash reconstruction experts and photographic evidence, eyewitnesses can offer insight into the victim’s and at-fault party’s actions before, during, and after the wreck.
Eyewitnesses’ memories are freshest immediately after accidents, so we will prioritize contacting them and scheduling interviews right away. When eyewitnesses stop to offer help after accidents, victims can ask for their information, which they can give to our lawyers later. If you did not talk to witnesses afterward because you were too injured, the police who responded to the scene may have collected their contact details and included them in the final report for the accident.
Eyewitnesses are especially helpful in undermining contributory fault defenses that could otherwise block victims from getting compensation for sharing liability for an accident. For example, if the defendant claims you were also speeding during the crash, eyewitnesses might negate those assertions when giving firsthand testimony in court. We can further support eyewitness statements with accident reconstruction efforts, which might find you were, in fact, not speeding based on property damage, impact points, and other evidence. In addition to eyewitness statements and expert witness statements, our car accident lawyers may source video footage from nearby security cameras to use in your case.
Negotiating a Fair Settlement After a Car Crash in Havre de Grace
Negotiating good settlements for car accidents starts with appreciating the value of a lawsuit. Our attorneys will do this by evaluating all economic and non-economic damages you have incurred from the other driver’s negligent conduct. We can also identify the best evidence to leverage during settlement negotiations and make sure to address defendants who might be intentionally stalling or undermining talks.
Knowing Your Total Damages
Negotiating a fair settlement after a car crash in Havre de Grace starts with knowing your damages. Our lawyers will begin by calculating all medical expenses you have incurred since the collision. While some victims only need minor treatment at the emergency room, this can still be expensive and worth seeking compensation for. Many victims suffer additional damages on top of medical bills, like lost wages and intangible damages. Knowing your non-economic damages for pain and suffering is just as important as knowing your economic damages, as your mental anguish and emotional distress after a major car accident might be significant. If you do not have a clear idea of your total losses since a crash, you will not be able to properly evaluate settlement offers that come from the opposing side after you file your lawsuit. This might lead to you agreeing to an unfair offer that fails to cover your losses, including future medical expenses you have not yet incurred. Signing and accepting a settlement would end the case, and you would not be able to get more compensation from the at-fault driver in the future.
Leveraging Evidence
Without a plan to leverage evidence and present compelling arguments during settlement negotiations, conversations might drag on for far too long, or defendants might never offer an amount that closely aligns with victims’ losses. Having qualified experts on our side can aid these efforts, like the physicians who have treated you who can give statements about your reduced quality of life or the upcoming surgeries or rehabilitative care you will need. Our goal is to make it clear that our case can succeed if it goes to court so that the defendant offers a suitable out-of-court settlement, saving you time and resources and allowing you to focus solely on your physical recovery sooner. Without ample preparation at the beginning of your case, settlement negotiations might be unsuccessful. That is why our attorneys will focus on preserving evidence of property damage, identifying experts who will benefit your claim, and interviewing eyewitnesses.
Prioritizing Your Financial Recovery
While many victims want to settle their cases quickly, accepting lowball settlements does not serve them. Though the lawsuit might end faster, many of your damages might go uncovered, leaving you on the hook for some medical expenses and other losses. When prioritizing your financial recovery after a wreck, our attorneys can gauge how settlement negotiations are progressing and if we should go to court. This could lead to a better offer from the defense if they want to avoid a trial or let us present our evidence to a jury, which might give you a better award than previous settlement proposals. As trials continue, defendants might offer better settlements, and we can continue evaluating them as they come in. Going to court will not necessarily delay your recovery, as a trial might progress relatively quickly once it reaches the court docket in Havre de Grace.
Call Our Lawyers in Havre de Grace to Discuss Your Case
Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 and have our car accident lawyers review your case for free.