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Settling a DC bicycle accident case can be a great option to resolve the conflict quickly and cost-effectively. A settlement agreement consists of the person who caused the accident promising payment to the accident victim representative of their injuries. For example, if you get into a DC bike accident and suffer $30,000 in damages, you settle your claim for $30,000. In consideration for receipt of the $30,000, you sign a release of liability form that disallows you from subsequently suing the tortfeasor and collecting twice for the accident. Naturally, you can enter this agreement far faster than you can get into court. After filing a lawsuit in Washington, DC, it can take upwards of two years to get to trial. This is one serious advantage to settling your claim. One caveat is that you do not immediately know what your case is worth.
Typically, you complete all medical treatment before settling your case because you know only the true cost you have borne. Settling a DC bicycle accident case is an excellent option because it is more cost effective than filing a suit. By settling instead of filing, you avoid court filing fees, higher legal fees, expert witness costs, deposition costs, discovery expenses, court reporter fees, and jury fees, to name a few. Moreover, settling a claim can accomplish all the same things a lawsuit does. A civil lawsuit for personal injury aims to recover monetary damages. A personal injury lawsuit does not look to put someone in jail, as that would be a criminal prosecution, distinct from a civil one. Beyond these two significant benefits to settling a DC bicycle accident case, and there are others, there are still times when filing suit makes the most sense.
A near infinite number of factors affect the value of a bicycle accident settlement in Washington, DC. To start, we look at the severity of the injuries, total amount of medical expenses, property damage to all vehicles, physical pain and emotional suffering, and any lost income or loss of future earning capacity. This is what makes up the value of a case. However, the biggest factor that determines whether the case will settle is liability. Do we have enough evidence to win in the event we go to trial? If the insurance company believes our evidence is not persuasive, they will make lowball offers, demonstrating they are not serious in settling and daring us to move to trial.
Meanwhile, if they know without a shadow of a doubt that any reasonable jury would find for us and award us the full value we are owed, they will be far more willing to settle our case and make a reasonable offer. Litigating a case is expensive for the insurance companies too. While you may think that they can afford it, they work off of a formula. As they are handling thousands of cases, they must adhere to their formula and make sound business decisions. Thus, they are uninterested in paying defense counsel a legal fee for a case they know they are on the hook to pay for regardless. Accordingly, the more persuasive our evidence, the more likely the insurer will be to place a higher value on your bicycle accident settlement.
The settlement negotiation process cannot begin until we know what your case is worth. Otherwise, we are just speculating. While it is possible to bluff in a negotiation, this is an evidence-based process. While the insurance company is already put on notice before you complete your treatment, we do not begin our back and forth negotiation until we know what your case is worth. Accordingly, once you complete your medical treatment, you must inform our team so we can reach out to each of your medical providers. Once we obtain all medical bills and records, we forward these to the insurance company, along with a demand letter. It typically takes the insurance provider four to six weeks to evaluate a claim. Then, we can begin the settlement negotiation process.
Once four weeks have passed since we have sent a demand to the adverse insurer, we begin to follow up with them every day to begin the negotiation. Remember, the insurance company does not want to make a payment at all. So, it is essential to show the insurance provider that they can either settle the case or pay the additional cost of a trial. If they do make an offer, we are required to convey this offer to you. Our DC bike accident attorneys will then advice you on whether it is a good offer or not, and whether to accept or reject it. If we believe we can get more, we will advise you to reject the offer. Of course, insurance companies make bad offers because they know some clients will accept the first offer they get despite counsel advocating to wait it out.
After a few days of this process, we hopefully ocme to a just resolution.
An experienced attorney is skilled in negotiating with insurance companies that often attempt to reduce the settlement amount by questioning the extent of injuries or disputing liability. Legal representation can help push back against lowball offers and provide persuasive arguments based on the facts of the case. Additionally, with decades of courtroom experience, we know what a case is worth should we push forward to trial. This depends, in part, on the county that we would file suit in. Accordingly, experienced legal counsel can value a case with precision. Moreover, we understand why a case is valued the way it is. This reasoning is compelling in a negotiation where the insurance company will try to deny coverage or dispute the value of a claim at every stop.
Further, Lawyers ensure that all legal procedures are followed correctly, which can prevent costly mistakes and delays, and they offer peace of mind by handling communications with insurers so the injured party can focus on recovery.
An insurance company’s primary goal is to maximize their profits. This means avoiding payment when at all possible. They think that if they can delay settling your bicycle accident case, then there is a chance it will never be resolved at all. Below is a list of potential delays you may encounter when settling a DC bicycle accident case.
Once both parties agree to a settlement amount for your DC bike injury, we await a settlement check in the mail. Different insurers have different policies. Some insurance providers may require that you first sign a release of liability form prior to issuing the check. Once we get the check, which takes seven to ten days from when they mail it, we must deposit it into our attorney trust account. Then, it takes seven days for the check to clear, and for the monies to be disbursed.
Call our office today for a free consultation or case evaluation. We stand ready to help you settle a DC bicycle accident case and get you the compensation you deserve.
Copyright © 2025 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.