Accidents can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. The law protects individuals in an accident by determining the person or entity responsible for the accident and providing adequate compensation for the injuries they might have sustained due to the accident.
Some accidents may be due to unavoidable circumstances, whereas others might be intentional or due to the mistakes of others. Personal injury compensation is a way of mitigating the loss incurred by the individual who suffers due to an accident.
The most common accidents occur in the workplace, where workers may get injured, or on the streets, where drivers or pedestrians may get hurt. When in an accident, individuals are often confused due to the legal and official procedures and paperwork involved.
It is highly recommended that you seek the assistance of a personal injury lawyer if you are involved in an accident. You might be thinking, what does a personal injury lawyer do?
A personal injury lawyer is someone who provides legal assistance to people injured in an accident. They are called personal injury lawyers for a reason.
Irrespective of whether the accident was due to negligence or intentional, a personal injury lawyer seeks maximum compensation for their clients. Getting a proper injury lawyer helps you navigate the tedious and complex process of post-accident proceedings.
If you are seeking Social Security assistance, read our article on the medical conditions that qualify for Social Security disability.
What Can A Personal Injury Lawyer Do For You?
Personal injury lawyers do more than represent you when you have been in an accident. They explain to you your right to claim and pursue compensation for your settlement for the injuries you have sustained. They interact with the police officers investigating the incident and give them your perspective and your side of the story.
They also negotiate with your insurance company and ensure you are covered adequately per your policy benefits. If you have never filed an injury claim, your lawyer will guide you through the paperwork and procedure to ensure there are no errors and everything is in order.
The following are why you should get in touch with a personal injury lawyer and how they can help you in the event of an accident.
Provide Information
When you are involved in an accident where you are not in the wrong, you need to get in touch with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. One of the most important reasons for hiring a private lawyer is that most of the time, individuals face a unique situation for the first time.
People who have never filed a personal injury claim for an accident in the workplace have no idea what paperwork to file, what authorities to notify, and how to meet legal and official requirements. Your attorney will provide information about your rights and guide you through the process.
Investigation And Discovery
To establish a claim, you need help with case investigation and discovery. Your attorney will track down eyewitnesses and interview them to show your case, obtain photographic and documentary evidence, review police and first responders reports, and document the adverse conditions at the site of the accident.
This investigation and discovery process will reveal essential details relevant to making a factual claim.
Give Context To Your Injury Claim
The records that your attorney's investigators obtain will provide context that will lend strength to your claim. In addition to inspecting the site of the accident, whether it is your workplace or a road, your lawyers will need additional documents about your medical situation.
Suppose you suffer from a condition that is not letting your injuries from the accident heal quickly, such as diabetes. Your attorney might need additional documents and records to establish how it impacts your recovery. These documents include your medical history, papers, and bills.
Your attorney will also prepare written questionnaires for the party at fault and arrange depositions to ask relevant questions from the other side to establish context.
Negotiate With Insurance Companies
Insurance companies are an essential party we tend to miss when seeking compensation for personal injuries. Insurance companies always seek to minimize the payout to policyholders.
Since you have been paying premiums over your policy, you should get the maximum benefit if you get into an accident. After an accident, insurance companies from both sides want to talk to you to get details and appropriately assign responsibility.
It is good to have your lawyer by your side so that the insurance companies cannot use the information in a way that might threaten or weaken your claim.
Review And Record The Subrogation Rights Of Your Insurance Companies
Suppose you have been injured in an accident. In that case, your injury attorney will require you to give them copies of your insurance policies, including your auto policy, to review the applicable subrogation provisions in your policies.
They will examine these policies and look for all the practical benefits you may receive. These benefits include personal injury protection benefits, medical coverage, automotive liability coverage, and uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage.
They will advise you to make your insurance company a party to any future lawsuits so that they may recover the damages they pay. This way, your injury lawyer ensures that your insurance company's interests are aligned with yours so that they side with you in your claim.
Find A Doctor And Request An Evaluation
Your injury lawyer will find a doctor for you and request a medical evaluation to provide context about the extent of your injuries, how they are preventing you from doing your job and earning a livelihood, how long it will take for you to recover, and how hard the journey to recovery will be.
This evaluation helps strengthen your claim and determine the personal injury compensation amount you should receive. At times, a doctor would be required to testify on behalf of an injured party. Your lawyer would guide the doctor concerning the legal questions they might encounter during their testimony.
Pick Up And Arrange To Test For A Faulty Product
If your injury resulted from a faulty product in your workplace or an automobile fault by the manufacturer, your injury attorney would arrange a pick-up of the defective product and the testing of it to establish responsibility appropriately.
If you possess the product in question, you should hand it over to your lawyer so they may store it for non-destructive testing later. This move provides legitimacy to your injury claim.
Be sure to provide your lawyer with access to the product before the manufacturer or the insurance carrier can conduct any testing that might prevent you from conducting tests to prove that the product was faulty.
Types Of Cases That Personal Injury Lawyers Take On
Personal injury attorneys take on all the cases that result in personal injuries due to the negligence of others. Personal injury lawyers take on the following accidents and injuries.
- Road accidents (motor vehicle accidents, motorbike accidents, bicycle accidents, truck accidents, etc.)
- Fatal injuries (spine injuries, head injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, etc.)
- Injuries sustained at birth
- Trip and fall injuries
- Fire accidents
- Public harm cases (for example, Camp Lejeune Water Contamination cases)
- Child or minor injuries
- Defective medicines and drugs
- Construction site-related accidents
- Sex abuse/rape injuries
- School accidents
- Elevator accidents
- Injuries due to defective medical equipment or medical malpractice
Find The Right Personal Injury Attorney To Help You
When looking for the right personal injury attorney to represent you and file your injury claim, you should look for a seasoned and experienced lawyer with a proven track record of successful injury claims. Your lawyer should have an eye for detail and be a thorough investigator.
They should be good at mediating conflicts and should be patient listeners. It is essential that your lawyer cares and is passionate about your topic. Make sure to choose a lawyer specializing only in personal injury cases, not one pursuing all types of cases.
If you have been in an accident that resulted in a personal injury, check out our article about personal injury protection.
