A key sign that a McAllen and Harlingen resident needs to contact an attorney after a personal injury accident is when the defendant or their insurance company offers the accident victim a settlement amount as a remedy for the accident. Insurance companies have lawyers on staff who are dedicated to protecting their employers' interests at all costs. Those costs are usually incurred at the expense of accident victims. A settlement offer is designed to provide an accident victim with some sort of compensation that is usually but not always money. When a settlement agreement is signed, the accident victim is typically not able to pursue any other legal action concerning the case. Insurance companies usually offer settlement agreements to limit the amount of money that they will likely have to pay if strong cases go to court. Many accident victims who often have mounting medical bills and personal expenses agree to settle their cases outside of the courts because they want to get paid quickly. The court system encourages this form of litigation because many courts are over loaded with legal cases, and settlement actions reduce the number of lawsuits that come to trial. Here are some ways that accident victims and their legal teams negotiate favorable settlements.