If you’re a car accident victim, you might be entitled to compensation from the guilty party. If this is the case, you need to hire a personal injury attorney to represent you. Getting the money you’re owed can be a difficult process, especially when insurance companies don’t want to pay out. If you’re not familiar with accident case law, you could miss out on the compensation you would otherwise have received. So, while it might seem like overkill to hire a lawyer after an accident, it’s worth the price.
A personal injury lawyer can file an accident bodily injury claim on your behalf. They’ll negotiate with other parties and their insurance companies. When there’s a lawyer involved, other parties are more likely to take you seriously. So they won’t try to avoid talking to you. Your lawyer will do all of the work for you, allowing you to focus on your recovery. Plus, many times, they won’t take their fee until you receive your money. So you won’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay them for their work.
Do I need a personal injury lawyer? If you are asking that then you have probably experienced some sort of accident that was caused by someone else. This include motorcycle accidents, car and truck accidents, workers’ compensation claims and any other type of occurrence that caused you harm against your will, by someone else. There are many questions that you will probably have if this is the case and this article is designed to answer a few of the most common questions that are asked. Let’s get started:
When should I call a law firm?
Pretty much as soon as you have the accident. As soon as you can afterwards is a good idea because you don’t want to forget any details of what happened. It’s a good idea to actually write down your encounter and have any witnesses do the same. Then you can present this to the lawyer at the law firm of your choosing when finding out what the next steps in the process are. If your story changes after the shock wears off, then this could cause problems in your case. Talking to a law firm right away will confirm facts.
Do I need a personal injury lawyer?
When in doubt, have a consultation. Lawyers usually will offer a free consultation before taking your case to let you know if you even have a case to begin with. Sometimes you may think that you have a case but you don’t have the evidence to back your case and so asking ‘do I need a personal injury lawyer?’ is a legitimate question because there are times when you do not. If you have a consultation with a personal injury lawyer and they tell you that you probably would not win your case because of lack of proof or some other reason then no, you would not need a personal injury lawyer. However, in the event that you are told that your case looks promising, you would then want to hire a lawyer to assist you.
What will a personal injury lawyer do?
If your case is taken, the personal injury lawyer will be able to advise you and counsel you in the next steps in the process. They will also act as your advocate in mediation, settlement conferences and if your case goes to trial. They know the correct avenues to go through in order to expedite paper work and get things done faster. They also know the correct paperwork to file and how to fill it out. There’s a lot of things that lawyers can do that the common person doesn’t have the know how to do or even the ability. Some things are between lawyers and judges only as there is a certain understanding in the legal world.
Will my case go to trial?
Not always. There are times when personal injury cases do end up in court but most of them can get settled out of court. If the investigations show that the other party is really at fault and they admit fault, then generally speaking, you will be offered a certain amount during a settlement conference and if you accept the amount then the case is closed and everyone walks away. Those kinds of situations are a win win but you will want to listen to your lawyer. Usually when a settlement amount is offered there will be a space of time in which you can consider the offer. During this time it is highly recommended to speak with your lawyer. They can let you know whether or not they think you would be offered a higher amount in court. The risk, however, is that if you deny the settlement amount, there is always the chance that you will lose your case and end up with nothing, so you have to think carefully.
It all starts with ‘do I need a personal injury lawyer?’ and continues from there. The whole process can take a long time and be very involved with a lot of things to do. You can’t expect your lawyer to do everything while you sit back. Make sure that you are doing everything the lawyer asks of you to help your case to win.