An accident can turn your whole world upside down in a matter of seconds. One minute you are having an ordinary day, and the next thing you know you are dealing with ever-growing medical bills, missing work while you recover, and trying to handle phone calls with insurance companies that speak a language that completely eludes you.
In these scenarios, many people find themselves deep in thought, contemplating if hiring a personal injury lawyer is necessary or if it is possible to manage all of it on their own. Perhaps you are hoping to save money, or maybe you find the entire legal process very intimidating and convoluted.
But here’s the truth: a good personal injury lawyer is way more than a person who shuffles paperwork. A personal injury lawyer is your advocate, your translator, and your pit bull. They go to work making sure that you are treated fairly and get the compensation you are rightfully entitled for everything you’ve endured.
They know how to talk to insurance companies, understand the real value of your injury, and can point out tricks that will cost you thousands of dollars if you take it on by yourself.
Finding Out the Accurate Value of Your Claim
A majority of people have absolutely no clue what their injury claim is worth and that is precisely what insurance companies are counting on. You likely think your claim is limited to covering your immediate medical bills; but, there is generally much more to consider than the initial superficial cases. An experienced attorney knows how to calculate not just your past personal injuries, but also how to guesstimate future treatment, rehabilitation, lost wages, and potential loss of earnings as a result of not being able to return to work. They understand how to assign value to pain and suffering, something most people struggle with.
If you’re dealing with an insurance company, their number one goal is to pay you as little as possible. They have teams of adjusters and attorneys whose job it is to minimize your claim or deny it altogether. They may attempt to convince you that your injuries aren’t as bad as you think, or that you’re partly to blame for what happened.
An experienced personal injury attorney understands how insurance companies do business. They have seen every trick in the book and will be able to identify the full value of your damages without making assumptions or hindering your claim.
Navigating Complex Paperwork & Deadlines
It’s quite a complex process in the courtroom. The legal system has deadlines, procedures, and paperwork that will make your head spin. If you miss a filing deadline, or fill out a form incorrectly, you may lose your right to compensation. This is not just common sense or common knowledge, and the impact of these often over-looked mistakes can be irreversible. Personal injury lawyers deal with the tedious paperwork, file court into relevant court systems and have the experience necessary to sort the insurance paperwork out, so you won’t need to likely worry about it. Personal injury lawyers will know exactly what needs to be filed, when it is due, and how to get it done right the first time.
Different laws, and statutes of limitations, apply to different states in relation to the rules regarding injury claims. What applies in one state might not necessarily apply in another state. This can make a difference in your case, and the lawyer understands the details associated with local rules and keeps everything on track from start to finish.
While you are getting better, your lawyer makes sure that everything is legally sorted out right, and nothing happens in the process that may jeopardize your claim.
Investigating, or Gathering Evidence
When you are pursuing a personal injury case, you need a lot more than just your depositions about what happened. You need reliable evidence to show fault and evidence to show your damages, and gathering that evidence takes skill along with resources that most people do not have.
An experienced lawyer knows how to interview witnesses while their memories are reliable, collect statements that will be reliable in court, and engage with the medical expert or accident reconstructor to provide professional input into the claim.
Experienced personal injury lawyers know how to get police reports, and medical reports, and other important documents that might be more difficult for you to obtain on your own. Sometimes they will hire an investigator to gather the evidence or use specialist in order to reveal evidence that isn’t immediately obvious.
With all of these options available to them, they can create a repository of supportive materials to establish a much better base upon which to build your case, especially relying on your recovery status.
Your Best Shot at Fair Compensation
The job of a personal injury lawyer goes far beyond filing some documents and waiting to see what happens. To a certain extent they become your voice, your path through the confusion, and your protection for what is likely the most stressful time of your life. A vigorous representation often recovers prominent but potentially overlooked costs you have involved with each proceeding matter.
While no lawyer will ever guarantee a specific outcome, because nobody can, working with a qualified actual expert will improve your chances of recovering fair compensation for your injuries. If you have suffered any type of accident, contacting a personal injury lawyer may be one of the best decisions you can make to get your life back on track.