Finding out that there is legal action pending after a semitruck crash is a hard spot to be placed in. For many people who are facing these types of cases, the focus is on trying to get them over with as quickly as possible without having to spend an exorbitant amount of money to do so.
One option that you have in these cases is to go through mediation with the victim of the crash. This puts you and the other party in negotiations to try to work out a settlement so that you don’t have to put the case in the hands of a jury that might see the case in favor of the alleged victim.
During the mediation session, you will be able to use the help of a mediator to keep the discussion on track. The important thing here is that you need to make sure that your rights are being respected. The victim is going to try to get a high settlement. You might not be willing to pay that high amount. Instead, you can use the process to knock some money off the total.
You need to make sure that any settlement agreement makes it clear that the person can’t come back looking for more money later. Typically, the complainant will give up the right to any future legal action once the case is resolved. Of course, you will have to be willing to be realistic in the negotiations.
If you can’t come to an agreement through mediation, the case will almost certainly move to a jury trial. This provides you with an uncertain outcome.
Source: FindLaw, “Resolution Before Trial: Settlement,” accessed May 11, 2018