Reports | November 3, 2022 | Uncategorized
When Is a Good Time To Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer?
As soon as possible! You may want to handle injury accident claim independently, but even with minor incidents, you should always seek legal advice from an experienced personal injury lawyer. While car accidents are the most common cases that many personal injury lawyers handle, many other cases exist, like:
If you try to take on a case alone, you will need to juggle medical treatment with insurance claims. Injury claims are complex and very time-consuming, and you likely do not have the capacity to navigate this process. It is never wise to try.
Some injury victims will attempt to handle the case independently at first and hire a lawyer later. Trying this will often complicate the matter even further. It is all too easy to make mistakes that can jeopardize your claim, and a lawyer might not always undo these errors once you hire one.
Further, waiting to hire a local personal injury lawyer means you might miss important deadlines and lose the preservation of evidence. You need to hire a nearby personal injury lawyer immediately after an accident resulting in injuries. Below are some reasons why.
Managing Your Personal Injury Case
There are many intricacies in handling and managing injury cases. Personal injury lawyers spend years learning the law and developing strategies to win cases and fight for their clients. Conversely, the insurance company has come up with airtight policies that benefit them.
The insurance company wants to make it challenging – even for valid claims. There are many processes and deadlines that are often challenging for injury victims to understand and meet. However, a personal injury lawyer will have the ability to meet all relevant deadlines and provide the necessary information to insurance companies.
When they begin to work on your case, your personal injury lawyer can give you a realistic perspective on the good, bad, and possible outcomes. After a traumatic event, it is normal to feel a slew of emotions. These emotions can, however, hinder you from thinking clearly. A local personal injury lawyer can stay level-headed and look at your case objectively. They can offer advice so you make the right decisions. Looking at your circumstances logically is difficult when you’re in pain and suffering losses.
The legal process is even more challenging when you do not know what to expect. The process can seem to drag on. When you have a local personal injury lawyer, they will keep your claim on track and moving forward. While you focus on recovery, they will file paperwork and handle communications with insurers.
If you need to take your case to court, you must have a trustworthy personal injury lawyer representing you. Experienced lawyers know how to work with insurance companies and judges, making the process smoother for you.
Seeking Proper Losses for Your Injuries
After the initial accident, you might think you have a good understanding of your injuries, but without a medical prognosis, you cannot be sure. When victims believe an injury is minor, they are reluctant to hire a lawyer. However, even a minor injury can lead to costly losses or even turn into a major one.
Once you accept an injury settlement offer from the insurance company, you cannot take further legal action. You need to wait until you know the full extent of your injuries to accept anything, which can take some time.
When you settle without the help of a lawyer, you risk not receiving all the compensation you deserve. For example, you might not know what you deserve for pain and suffering damages. You might not realize you will have future expenses that you need to include in your claim now.
Since personal injury attorneys have years of experience handling these cases, they know which damages you can get for your particular circumstances. They can calculate all of your losses, including future expenses and pain and suffering.
You Have a Permanent Injury
Your claim is more complex when an injury results in a permanent condition or disability. Permanent conditions can require ongoing medical care or leave victims unable to work. You will have ongoing damages, facing thousands and maybe millions in ongoing losses. Your age and the nature of your disability will also impact your future losses.
When an insurance company sees a permanent injury claim, they work extra hard to lower the settlement, as you might deserve substantial sums of money. You will need a lawyer to document your damages and work with experts to prove how much you deserve to reach an appropriate settlement.
The Insurance Company Has Lawyers, and so Should You
Many victims do not hire a lawyer after an accident because they have insurance and the other driver or party has insurance. They might assume that insurance claims are straightforward matters and there is no need for legal help.
It is difficult to realize that the insurance company is not working in your best interests, even your own. You aim to get a settlement covering your current and future losses. In contrast, the insurance company aims to pay as little as possible for your claim. The less they pay you, the more profits they make.
The insurance company has lawyers on retainer when there is an accident to protect their interests. They will use extensive resources to find holes in the claim and lower the settlement offers. These lawyers regularly defend against injury claims in court.
Because of the resources insurance companies have, you also need an attorney in your corner. Your injury lawyer will know how to communicate and negotiate with insurance representatives, so you do not have to worry about saying the wrong thing or accepting the wrong settlement offer.
The Parties Dispute Liability
All personal injury claims require one party to show the other was negligent and liable. When the other person or insurance company disputes liability, it can complicate a claim. You will need a personal injury lawyer to investigate and determine liability. They will know how to gather evidence to sufficiently prove liability in your specific case.
If you wait too long to speak with a personal injury lawyer, it is more challenging to prove liability due to a potential lack of evidence. Evidence can weaken or disappear with time, and this can make your claim significantly more challenging.
Multiple Parties May Have Caused Your Accident
Another reason you need to hire your personal injury lawyer right away is when there are multiple parties in the claim. Multi-vehicle collisions, truck accidents, and similar incidents are prime examples of cases with numerous liable parties. More parties can mean additional sources of compensation, but they can also mean more complexities and a lengthier legal process. You want proper legal assistance if you potentially have a multi-party claim.
A Government Entity Is Involved
Another challenging claim is when there is a government entity. When you add the complexities of suing a government agency, there is room for error. There are state laws that protect the government from lawsuits in certain circumstances. Luckily there are exceptions. You will have very limited time if you are eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the government. There are short deadlines, and it is best to hire a nearby personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
There Is a Death
When a loved one dies from an accident, it is devastating to those left behind. The grieving process is worse when you learn there was negligence at the root. The parties who can file a wrongful death claim will vary by state and insurance policy. Typically, a spouse and children will be the ones who can file a claim. There are economic and non-economic damages available to surviving family members. There will need to be various experts to calculate the long-term loss.
Various people might have depended on the deceased. A spouse can suffer a loss of income to the household and their partner’s companionship. If the person had children, they will suffer a loss of parental guidance for the rest of their life. There are also the emotional losses that families suffer that have no price. You need a wrongful death lawyer handling your claim while you focus on your grief.
Tips to Help Your Case
Hiring an injury accident lawyer has many advantages, but you will also play a crucial role in the success of your case. While the lawyer will handle most of the legal process, you must stay in communication and help with your legal claim.
You must listen to your lawyer because they have your interests in mind. They will have experience and can tell you what you should and should not do. They do not want to prolong the process but instead want to resolve the issue quickly.
You must tell them the whole story and answer questions honestly. Since your lawyer is on your team, it does not hurt to tell them the details. Through attorney-client privilege, whatever you say to your injury lawyer stays between you. It also helps to share all the details because they must prepare a defense should the opposing party discover it.
You must not share information about the case with anyone not part of the claim. People will rely on their support system in hard times, and an accident is no different. It is common to confide in friends, family, and coworkers. It is not to say that you cannot trust these individuals, but the insurance company is very sneaky. They are looking for ways to lower your claim, and they may use your loved ones against you. Only discuss the case with your legal team.
Additionally, do not post anything about the accident on social media. Do not discuss how you are feeling physically or emotionally online. When it comes to photos, do not have fun or do anything strenuous like skydiving. It is best to avoid social media while you have a claim open, if possible.
Attending all of your doctor’s appointments not only for your health but also for your claim. If you miss doctor’s appointments regularly, it will make your healing process longer and your case too. Aside from attending doctor’s visits, you must follow all medical advice. It will significantly lower your claim if you do not follow the recommendations and miss too many appointments. While the injury accident lawyer and insurance company will request medical records, you also need copies. You can review your records for inaccuracies that the lawyer and insurance company are unaware of.
Communication is vital when you hire a personal injury lawyer from both parties. You have the right to speak up and ask questions. While many lawyers like to work alone, you still need to be updated on your claim and provide information. It is also essential to have consistent communication; when there are delays in communication, it can result in delays in your claim and deadlines passing.
A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
There are many benefits to hiring a personal injury lawyer, but victims often focus on the downsides. One fear is paying legal fees. There are different fee structures for legal cases, but those in the personal injury arena work under a contingency fee.
The contingency fee process works by the personal injury lawyer collecting their fees from your settlement. You do not pay your personal injury lawyer fees until they win your case. If you have reservations about filing a lawsuit, you can speak with a nearby personal injury lawyer for free during an initial consultation. You will get an idea of whether you should pursue a legal claim.
Your injury accident attorney will help you get all the damages you deserve for your case. There are many different damages available for injury victims. Additionally, you will need a strong negotiator when facing the insurance company after you determine the damages you can get.
When a personal injury attorney is involved, insurance companies know they cannot use the same tactics to lower and deny your claim. The insurance company is more willing to negotiate a fair settlement. While having a personal injury lawyer can help the insurance company take you seriously, that doesn’t mean the insurance company will go down without a fight.
Learn More about what to look for when you chose a personal injury lawyer with in our injury blog.