Do I Have to Go to Court for a Car Accident?

This is a question we often hear from our car accident injury clients. They express to us that they feel nervous about the prospect of going to court, even though the desperately need to obtain the compensation they’re owed by the negligent party who injured them.

We understand. If you don’t spend a lot of time there like we do, court can be intimidating.

And while you don’t necessarily have to go to court if you file a personal injury claim after a car accident, you very likely will want to if the negligent party or insurance company refuses to negotiate.

Why Many Accident Victims Should Go to Court

Unfortunately, insurers and negligent parties too often think they can get away with refusing to negotiate with you. After you partner with a personal injury lawyer, he or she will craft a demand letter that states your injuries and damages and demands a certain amount of compensation.

In many cases—the majority, in fact—insurers will opt to settle because going to court puts them at risk of being forced to give you a much higher amount of compensation. If that happens, and the insurer or negligent party makes a settlement offer that truly covers your damages, that’s fine. Of course, you’ll want to consult with a lawyer to make sure you’re not being shortchanged.

However, you may find that the insurance company or negligent party refuses to make an adequate settlement offer. The other side may even refuse to make an offer at all.

This is the point where you can either take them to court or give up. We don’t recommend giving up. Doing so will leave you with no compensation to cover all of your car accident damages.

How We Can Help

A car accident lawyer with our firm will continuously put pressure on the other side to make sure you’re compensated fairly. If the other side won’t budge, we won’t hesitate to take them to court to fight for the compensation you’re owed.

However, the process of going to court for a car accident doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating—particularly with a qualified lawyer by your side. We’ll defend you through every step of the process and make sure you’re fully aware of what’s going on.

Contact a California Car Accident Lawyer

While the aftermath of a car accident is scary, you can take comfort in the fact that court proceedings don’t necessarily have to be quite as frightening.

If you’ve been in a car accident in California and would feel more at ease with an experienced legal team by your side in court, contact a car accident lawyer at Golden State Lawyers, APC today. Give our firm a call at 408-279-4222 or head to the bottom of the page to fill out our online contact form.