If you have been injured in a car accident in the state of Georgia and need cash now, a pre-settlement advance, or a "lawsuit loan", might be right for you.  Car accidents can cause real financial strain for reasons such as having to miss work, unexpected medical expenses, car repairs or any other financial obligations.  Pre-settlement advances are designed as a financial resource to help you stay on your feet until you are either able to get back to work or your lawsuit can be resolved. 

 

What is pre-settlement funding?

A pre-settlement advance is a cash advance against your pending car accident case or lawsuit.  While a pre-settlement advance is sometimes referred to as a lawsuit loan, it is not actually a loan but a non-recourse advance.  If you take an advance and your case is unsuccessful for any reason you would not owe anything back. 

There are currently over 3.5 million cars on the road in Georgia which unfortunately results in over 385,000 car accidents per year. If someone else caused that accident or you were a passenger, you could be legally entitled to a fair compensation.   The bad news is that lawsuits takes time, typically one to three years before getting resolved.  Many plaintiffs use pre-settlement funding to help avoid having to accept an offer well below what their case is worth.  Pre-settlement advances can help level the playing field against large insurance companies with virtually unlimited resources.

How do pre-settlement advances work?   

Bridgeway has a simple three step funding process First, we have a brief conversation with you (the plaintiff); next we review your case to determine what we think it will be worth.  After review, assuming the numbers make sense, we would make you an offer for an advance of up to 10-20% of what we believe the value of your case is.  To learn more about how pre-settlement funding with Bridgeway works or to apply click here. 

How long does it take?

Bridgeway’s competitive advantage is speed.  If you are need of an advance quickly Bridgeway is set up to provide clients with cash in as little as 24-48 hours.   The fastest way to get the process started is to call us at (800) 531-4066 or fill out our quick questionnaire.   

 

How much can I borrow?      

One of the most common questions we get is how much of an advance am I eligible for?  The answer is typically up to 10-20% of the value of your case.  The more difficult question is how do we determine an estimated value of the case?  When reviewing individual cases, we focus on three main factors:

  • Liability – who is at fault.  Sometime that is straight forward, for example a rear-end accident. Other types, such as a side swipe, can be be less clear and there might be some comparative fault for each driver.
  • Damages – damages are typically made up of two main parts, injuries & wage loss. Evaluating your injury involves the injuries suffered from the accident, the medical treatment was needed, the medical expenses, how long did you have to treat and what is an estimate of future medical expenses.  Next, evaluating your wage loss claim starts with much work did you miss multiplied by what wage you earned.  Other parts of wage loss claims can include, can you go back to work at all, are you still able to do the same type of work and did you lose your job because of the accident. 
  • Insurance – you can typically only sue for up to the insurance coverage that is available in the accident.  In Georgia each vehicle on the road is legally obligated to carry car insurance. 

- For individuals the minimum legal limit for a passenger vehicle is $25,000/$50,000. Which means you can sue for up to $25,000 per person or a total of $50,000 per accident.  The largest limit for a passenger vehicle is typically $500,000. 

             - For commercial vehicles the limits are significantly higher but vary based on the type of vehicle.  For example, for trucks carrying freight the minimum policy limit is $750,000.

On top of specific vehicle limits there are situations where both individuals and especially corporations carry umbrella policies.  For more information regarding how much you can borrow, visit here.        

 

 

Organization is key

In an effort to make sure you are fairly compensated, be sure to hire a qualified attorney that specializes in motor vehicle accidents.   Keep good records of the accident and of your injury. Also, Obtain a copy of the police report retain names and numbers of witnesses, keep detailed notes and records of all medical treatments.  Make sure your law firm files a lawsuit within the legally allowed time known at the statute of limitations.  In Georgia the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the accident.

 

If you are interested in a pre-settlement advance or have any questions, please call (516) 787-8000 or email Info@BridgewayLF.com