If you take a closer look at the compensations which have been paid out in the province of Ontario deriving from personal injury claims, you will quickly see that over 90% of them have been thoroughly settled without ever reaching the court. The reason is quite simple – people prefer to settle. However, why is it like this? Is it so much beneficial? The truth is, for the most part, that it is. Of course, taking the matter to court reveals certain strong benefits in particular situations, but that’s that. In the majority of cases, settling a case is much more preferable and we are going to show you why.
Cost effective
Handling a claim through court in Ontario is very expensive. Legal fees, lawyer fees and expenses as a whole are going to quickly add up and you will have to invest a small fortune to get your case through a trial. Settling the claim out of court isn’t remotely close to being so expensive. Sure, there might be some expenses for your lawyer but then again, they will be significantly lower. Additionally, most of the lawyers work on a contingency basis, which means that they only charge a small percentage of the total compensation that they win for you.
Faster settlement
The nature of personal injury claims, in the majority of times, requires them to be handled quickly. However, the courts in Ontario are jammed with legal work and it’s highly likely that the entire procedure as well as the appeals is going to take several years. That’s not something that you can afford. If you decide to go for a settlement, you can get the entire affair resolved in a month or even less if you reach mutually agreeable solutions quickly.
Trial is stressful
Having to undergo a complete trial procedure is particularly stressful. Up until the final ruling you have absolutely no idea what the decision of the court will be which lays a lot of stress on your shoulders. Furthermore, having to appear on hearings regularly for a few years is without a doubt something that you might want to steer away from.
Settlements are private
Unless the record for the trial is sealed, other people are going to have access to them. This is something that you might find disturbing, especially if the case involves revealing information which is sensitive to you. You might not want certain entities to be aware that you’ve been involved in an accident. Being participant in a settlement places you and the other party in full control over what remains revealed and what doesn’t.
These are just a few of the advantages that you can draw out of a settlement. These are also amongst the most important reasons for which such a large number of people prefer to go ahead and settle instead of chasing a trial procedure.
