Drunk drivers are serious hazards. Unfortunately, they’re also unavoidable. Unless you plan on never driving at all, you’re not likely to find it possible to avoid running across these drivers in some instances. You can rely on a car accident lawyer to help you if you have cause to file a lawsuit, however.
Understanding Lawsuits
If you read a lot of car accident articles about drunk driving and filing lawsuits, you should already know a few things.
First, you have to have a sum of money that you’re seeking to file a lawsuit. It’s not possible to proceed otherwise. Your attorney will help you to come up with a realistic figure and will make sure it takes into account all the financial and physical damage you suffered as a result of the wreck.
Second, you may or may not have to go to court, which is described below.
No Court
If your case if very strong, you may be offered a settlement. This is something that you should have your attorney negotiate for you. The attorney can make sure you don’t end up taking too little in exchange for not taking the other party to court. This option means that you don’t pay court fees, which can make a real difference in how much your case costs.
Court
If you have to go to court, a jury will decide if you are to receive compensation. They may decide to offer you some of the money you’re seeking, all of the money you’re seeking or none of the money you’re seeking. Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict which way the jury will go. If you have a good lawyer and a strong case, however, it certainly improves the odds that they’ll rule in your favor.
Fees
Lawyers that help people with lawsuits oftentimes work on contingency. This means that they don’t get paid unless their clients win. This is the best arrangement for the client, obviously, as there’s no real risk of losing money on a case that doesn’t result in a settlement or a jury award.
Your attorney will make sure that it’s worth it for you to file a lawsuit before they actually take your case. There’s nothing in it for them if they argue a losing case, so you can be sure that they believe in yours if they offer to take you on as a client on a contingency basis.