Regular Payments To Injured Parties Are Called Structured Settlements
A structured settlement, therefore, is supposed to split the payments into smaller amounts which will cater for the needs of the injured party in the future.
It is done this way to stop any taxes being cut from the payments which mostly leaves the whole amount untouched.
Those who have been injured, and the persons whom the claim is made against, will come to this agreement after evidence shows that the defendant is certainly liable for damages.
What they then do is to offer this kind of payout and place the burden of the payments with a major insurance company.
That is, he assigns the payments to them.
They then pay out smaller amounts as and when the injured party needs the cash.
The great thing about doing things this way is that those who have been injured normally get worse over time.
Medical bills may be high and if they take lump sum payments, there is no guarantee that they will have money to pay the medical bills when that time rolls around.
That is, it is a surety that their future needs will be met so they have no need to worry about this.
Although future payments can take into accounts all kinds of different uses, like future pension needs, medical bills and college payments etc, they do not have to be equal.
Rather, they are anticipated when the injured party works out what he will need in the future and payments will be made to pay for major bills along the way.
Before accepting this kind of deal, a specialist who will have the interests of the plaintiff at heart must be consulted.
Do not rely on the lawyer for the defense since it is his job to get the best deal for his client and not the plaintiff.
He will also be qualified to choose the best annuity rates so that these payments are not eaten up by cost of living rises etc.
That is, he will get the best return on the money that is waiting to be paid to the plaintiff to offset future increases in living costs.
Of course, this kind of deal is not appropriate for all situations.
When it is not, he will be able to advice on trust funds which may give a better return in the long run.
What most people forget, when an innocent party has been injured, is that they did not contribute to this injury.
They were merely a victim of an accident, whether it could be avoided or not, and as such, they have to be compensated for the pain, distress, and loss of earnings which they would probably have coming in if the accident had not taken place.
Therefore, those who have caused accidents, or have been deemed to have by the court, now have to compensate the injured party for the damage.
His insurance company should pick up the tab but for those who are uninsured, this could be a very difficult time indeed.