Moments after being in an auto accident can be overwhelming, especially if you have suffered a personal injury. You may be required to make statements, provide medical documents for investigations, and make insurance claims. You may also receive a lot of paperwork and communication from agents representing the liable party’s insurance company. You cannot handle all these processes alone, more so if you are not well-versed with auto accident laws. This necessitates the need to hire a car accident lawyer. But when do I need a personal injury attorney? Read on to find out when you need a personal injury attorney.
When You Need a Personal Injury Attorney
Asking yourself when do I need a personal injury attorney? It’s a common question people ask themselves after sustaining a personal injury. Here are circumstances that warrant an auto accident lawyer.
1. You Were Involved in an Accident that Caused Injury
Slipping, falling, and sustaining minor injuries or breaking a nose in a stampede are things that happen more often, and you know how to deal with them. However, a hard fall can cause severe injuries, broken bones, and concussions that can affect your wellbeing.
If you were involved in an accident caused by another party that inflicted serious injury on you, hiring the services of an auto injury attorney is the right thing to do. Injuries can leave you with substantial medical bills, lengthy medical treatments, and reduced income due to disability or extended hospital stay.
When do I need a personal injury attorney is after suffering serious injuries like amputation or brain injury. Personal injury attorneys can help you understand your claims, the claim process, and how much compensation you deserve. They are highly trained and experienced in handling personal injury cases, negotiating with insurance companies, and estimating the right reward for your injury. They will protect your best interests throughout the claim process.
2. You Have a Medical Malpractice Claim
A medical malpractice occurs when a health care practitioner omits to provide appropriate medical care, refuses to take action, or provides a substandard treatment that causes further injury, harm, or death. If you are a victim of medical malpractice while undergoing treatment, it’s time to hire a medical malpractice attorney to help you with your medical malpractice claim.
Medical malpractice claims have a statute of limitations, with the most common statute being time limits. In most states, injured patients have two years from the date they have discovered their harm to file a medical malpractice claim. You should engage personal injury lawyers as soon as you discover you have a medical malpractice claim because such cases are complex and take a lot of time. The more time your lawyer has to deal with the case, the high your chances of winning the claim.
A medical malpractice attorney can prove that a medical practitioner caused the injury or harm in a manner that a competent practitioner would not have in the same circumstances. The accident lawyer can also claim damages from hospitals, medical practitioners, or laboratories on your behalf. Working with a medical malpractice lawyer can accelerate the process and increase your chances of getting a reward. So, the next time you ask yourself when do I need a personal injury attorney should be when you have a personal injury claim.
3. You Are Not Familiar with Personal Injury Laws and Processes
If you were involved in an accident that resulted in personal injury and are familiar with personal injury laws and processes, there is no need to hire a personal injury attorney. You can represent yourself and handle the case alone.
However, if you are not familiar with personal injury laws and processes, it would be best to hire an accident injury lawyer to help you navigate the case with ease. Handling personal injury cases require excellent negotiation skills as well as knowledge and expertise in personal injury laws and processes.
The case may require solid understanding of personal injury aspects, accident reconstruction, and evidence from several witnesses. This necessitates the need of an auto injury attorney that has enough knowledge and expertise to do all the required things. Your claim will abide by personal injury guidelines and your chances of getting compensation will increase.
4. You are Dealing with an Insurance Company
When do I need a personal injury attorney is a question you can ask yourself repeatedly when dealing with an insurance company following a personal injury. Many accident victims are often tricked into dealing with an insurance company on their own. While this may be feasible, you should not talk to the liable party’s insurance company before contacting your personal injury lawyer. It would be best to let your lawyer handle all the communications and negotiations. Here’s when you need a personal injury lawyer to help you deal with an insurance company.
Working With an Insurance Company
1. The Insurance Company Delays to Respond or Make Settlement
An insurance company covering the party at fault for your personal injury may delay responding after making a claim. The company may also delay making a settlement even though you already reached an agreement and accepted a settlement. If you are going through these delays, you need a personal injury attorney.
A personal injury attorney can help hasten the response and settlement process. The attorney may help you file cases against the company and demand delay penalties from them. Contact an attorney to enable you to get a response or settlement as soon as possible.
2. The Insurance Company Denies Your Claim
An insurance company can sometimes deny your insurance claim. This can happen if they believe the party they cover did not cause the accident or if you have failed to comply with certain conditions. This can cause you significant devastation, fear, and anxiety.
Personal injury attorneys can help you dispute the denial of your claim by the insurance company. An accident injury lawyer can investigate the accident and determine which driver was at fault. The investigation may involve looking for video evidence, interrogating witnesses, and obtaining police reports about the accident. A personal injury lawyer can also call an expert witness to tell how the accident happened and who caused it. Evidence obtained from these investigations can make the insurance company covering the liable driver own up to the incident and accept your claim.
3. The Insurance Company Issues a Low Settlement Offer
Insurance companies are in business to make profits. That said, they will want to reward you with the lowest settlement offer possible. The insurance company may call you shortly after an accident to give you an offer even before finishing treatment. The offer may be lower than the injuries and damages you incurred. Also, you cannot ask for more compensation after accepting the first settlement.
Contact a personal injury lawyer if an insurance company offers you a low settlement offer. An attorney will tell you the amount of compensation you deserve, how to negotiate with the company representatives, and how to make the process fruitful.
4. The Insurance Company Refuses to Negotiate
You decided to approach the at-fault driver’s insurance company to receive settlement for the injuries and damages caused by their client. However, the insurance company refuses to negotiate compensation with you. The best course of action to take in such a scenario is to hire a personal injury lawyer to arrange for negotiations. A personal injury attorney will keep your interests in mind and strive to ensure you get the compensation you deserve for your injuries, damages, and loss. Since unpresented claimants are often duped by insurance company agents, have a professional representative to handle your case will result in positive settlement outcomes.
4. Multiple Parties Are Involved
Dealing with a case involving only two parties can be quite simple. However, an incident involving many parties is complex, and liability may not be clear. The insurance processes may also get complicated.
Since many parties may have sustained injuries during the incident, two possible insurance claim scenarios exist. First, you may be liable for compensation from other parties. Second, you may be the subject of insurance claims from other parties. Your settlement offer will be reduced if you are partly liable for insurance and still a subject of claims from the other parties. You will not receive any settlement if all parties have proportional liability. A personal injury attorney can also help you deal with counterclaims and cross-claims from the other involved parties.
How Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help a Case
When do I need a personal injury attorney is when a case needs help. There is no reason to deal with complicated legal aspects about an accident on your own. You should also not be using your out-of-pocket money to pay for medical bills and other damages caused by another person’s negligence. Hiring a personal injury to deal with the case will benefit you more. Here’s how a personal injury attorney can help your case.
1. Prove Negligence
A personal injury attorney can help prove that the other party was at fault for your personal injury by proving negligence. There are four negligence components: duty of care, breach of duty of care, causation, and damages. An attorney will demonstrate that the other party’s conduct meets all these four elements to prove negligence. They could achieve this by obtaining police reports, speaking with witnesses, working with accident reconstruction specialists, and providing doctor records. Your attorney can also prove negligence by proving that the incident which caused your personal injury was avoidable. Proof of negligence will make the at-fault party liable for compensating your injuries and losses.
2. Hasten the Legal Process
Given their complex nature, personal injury cases can take long periods to settle. When do I need a personal injury attorney is when in need of a hastened legal process. A personal injury lawyer can help hasten the process by professionally handling the case without making any mistakes that could delay the process. An attorney will submit proper personal injury documentation, follow all required steps, and avoid filling mistakes that you could have committed if you were handling the case on your own. Personal injury attorneys are also renowned people who can speed up cases with their influence. These efforts can help your case reach a quick settlement.
3. Make the Case Cost-Effective
Since litigation processes have several litigation costs, you may end up paying more money, especially if you are handling the case yourself. When do I need a personal injury attorney is synonymous with when in need of making a litigation process as affordable as possible. An attorney can provide you with free installation, thus saving you money. Advice from the lawyer and actual representation can hasten the litigation process, thus eliminating costs like court fees and attorney fees. Receiving a settlement in good time with fewer costs will make the process cost-effective.
Other Information About When You Need a Personal Injury Attorney
When do I need a personal injury attorney is when in need of more information about personal liability cases. Personal injury attorneys can help you understand the case with more emphasis on potential financial awards.
Financial Awards
There are two types of financial awards that personal injury victims are liable to: economic awards and non-economic awards based on the losses you incurred. Economic awards are issued to cover economic losses. These losses include medical bills, property damage, and lost wages. Non-economic losses are non-monetary losses, such as pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and inconvenience caused by personal injury. You can qualify for both economic and non-economic damage rewards.
Hire a Personal Injury Attorney Today
If the question of when do I need a personal injury attorney has been crossing your mind, reading this article will help you answer it. A personal injury lawyer will represent your interests and add more value to your case. Contact an auto accident attorney today if you have a personal injury claim or have any questions about personal injury cases.
