Many a times car accidents that leave people personally injured are the result of somebody else’s negligence. A minor injury may heal within a short period of time with a little medical assistance, but in case there is a serious injury, you need immediate as well as long-term medical aid. With the soaring medical costs, treatment of a serious and complex injury may lead to considerable financial crunch in the victim’s family. Timely compensation may bail you out of this situation. But there are many who do not receive the compensation that they deserve, either from the liable third party or the insurance company. Hence it is advisable for Toronto residents to solicit the services of Car Accident Lawyers Toronto to get full-fledged compensation at the right time.
Expert legal professionals can indeed help you get timely settlement while offer a financial backup for availing medical assistance. Let us explore the different modes in which settlement can be reached:
- Dispute Resolution through Alternative Means: These techniques are a bit different from the usual way of entering into a negotiation with the defendant and his legal advisor. The methods, jointly termed as “alternative dispute resolution”, are comparatively formal and incorporate means such as arbitration and mediation, wherein a trained person is appointed for dispute resolution, in a manner very much like an unofficial trial.
- Negotiating Directly: You can reach a settlement by directly negotiating with the insurance company or the defendant’s legal advisor. This requires considerable grasp over two major areas: first, a projection of how your case will fare once it is tried in a court and secondly, how much amount your claim is worth. It is not always an easy task to be proficient in these areas, so the best thing that you can do is to hire car accident lawyers Toronto. Legal advisors in Toronto would be well-versed with the juries and courts in the area, and above all, a lawyer has good amount of experience in negotiation. Hence he can properly and justly negotiate with the defense lawyer or insurance adjuster.
- Mediation: This method of settlement involves an unbiased third party whose aim is to assist both the parties in reaching a win-win situation through an agreement. The mediator utilizes his legal expertise and experience in dispute resolution and reaches an agreement through a face-to-face dialogue with the parties involved including the victim, the insurer and the defendant, as well as the legal advisors of all the involved parties. Most of the times, a mediator is a retired lawyer or judge or any other unbiased person adept in handling such disputes.
- Arbitration: This is in fact a type of alternative dispute resolution, in some ways similar to mediation. Herein, just like mediation, the concerned parties engage in conversation and subsequent dispute resolution before an arbitrator, who is a retired lawyer or judge or any person well-versed in the applicable laws and legal situations. The difference between an arbitrator and a mediator is that an arbitrator does not actively intervene in the conversation or share his opinions. They more or less play the role of judges maintaining rule and order on questions regarding the law and ultimately deciding the final outcome. When the arbitration is non-binding, the judgment of the mediator is simply a suggestion, wherein in case of binding arbitration, the arbitrator’s decision is considered as the final one.
- Case Closure and Settlement Receipt: Once you reach the settlement, it is indeed a very satisfying moment. However, there are certain formalities which you must complete to ensure proper closure of the case. When the case reaches the final point, you will be required to sign a release form indicating that the claim is complete and the liability of the guilty party for that claim will not go beyond that. Since, your signature means that you cannot collect any other additional amount from the third party; it is always good to have a discussion with your legal advisor before signing.
These are the ways in which the victim can reach a settlement when faced with a car accident injury that is cause due to the negligence of a third party. Whatever the mode of settlement be, it is always good to hire an experienced and qualified legal advisor who will seamlessly take you through the legal proceedings.
James Galan, the owner of Galan Law, shares information about the different ways in which car accident cases can be settled.If you want more information, don’t hesitate to contact. Do not delay in claiming your rights if victimized by an accident. Get in touch with Galan Law to recover from your crisis.
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