If I Go To Court and Tell My Story the Jury Will Give Me a Reasonable Verdict Because Kentucky Juries Are Generous
If you have been in an accident in Kentucky you will be facing many decisions that may not be easy ones. If there has been substantial damage to your vehicle you may need to decide if you would be better off getting rid of it and obtaining a new one. One of the hardest decisions you will probably have to make is whether to take you case to court. Many will tell you that if you do you will get a lot of money. This is a myth that I will try and dispel.
Experienced trial attorneys will tell you that no one can ever guarantee what a jury will do. All attorneys have lost cases they thought they would win and won cases they thought they might lose. Juries are made up of twelve strangers that have never seen you before and will probably not ever see you again. You have very little information on what their backgrounds are. Juries will hear the evidence presented, deliberate and determine a dollar value for the pain and suffering that you will have to live with. A jury verdict is final and it is not always what you think it should be.
One thing to remember is that juries are generally very suspicious of auto accident claims and what has been described as soft tissue or whiplash injuries. You have seen the investigative television shows and read articles in the newspapers or on the internet which shows people faking injuries, accidents being staged, or chiropractors treating injuries that cannot be documented. This type of deception, propaganda by the insurance industry and the misinformation that is being written about Tort Reform has lead to much smaller jury verdicts. Tort Reform is the insurance industry's banner. They argue that juries are out of control and frivolous lawsuits are bogging down the court system and raising the cost of insurance. The insurance industry argues that because of this there should be limits placed on the amount one can recover in a lawsuit. I don't believe the allegations to be true and these proposals would severely damage an individuals' right to recovery.
The bottom line is juries will award you significant money damages if you have significant injuries. If you don't have significant injuries the verdict will reflect that. There is no guarantee on the outcome.
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About The Author
Michael A. Schafer is an attorney who concentrates his law practice in personal injury litigation in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of "7 Potholes That Can Wreck Your
Kentucky Accident Case" and "What You Don't Know About Buying
Car Insurance Can Hurt You".
