Getting into a car accident is never good, and now, with some states still limiting court use due to the pandemic, lawsuits over car accidents may experience even more delays. You need to know what your options are if you find yourself in line, waiting for an open court date, while your need for reimbursement and compensation only grows. This is happening to everyone, so you're not alone, but it's frustrating to find that those hospital bills won't wait. You have two main options when faced with this situation.

Keep Waiting

One is to simply keep waiting for a court date because one could open up unexpectedly. Your lawyer can monitor court availability and try to jump on times when someone else has canceled or postponed their expected court date, leaving an open slot. It's not ideal, but it's the simplest and most straightforward process. If you have a very good court case that doesn't lend itself well to being settled, waiting and looking for unexpected openings may be your best option.

Arranging for a Settlement

The other option is settling if the other party is willing. This can lead to a faster resolution in some cases, but it may also lead to a lower compensation amount. It can also become more frustrating, as the other party can stall or fight back vigorously when faced with higher settlement offers. Settlements are negotiations, and sometimes negotiations can be tougher than you'd hoped.

Never approach settling without a lawyer representing you. Chances are, the opposing party will have a lawyer, and you want to be on equal ground. If the other party doesn't have a lawyer, then you still want to have one yourself, so that you don't forget anything or make missteps that the other party can later say invalidate the settlement.

There are also issues with compensation that you might not have thought about. You might think you need your hospital bills paid and some money to pay household costs while you recover — but you might not realize that you could have lingering medical issues from the accident that worsen as you get older, or that you may need therapy to deal with the trauma of the accident (emotional trauma may not show up immediately). Your lawyer also understands that the insurance company may want some of your compensation, too, and thus your settlement has to take that extra amount into account.

If you're in need of compensation after a car accident and facing potential court delays, speak with a car accident lawyer about which option would be best, given your case. Your lawyer wants you to have correct compensation as soon as possible and help you find the best path toward resolution.

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