Getting injured is something that we all try to avoid in our lives as it can be painful and costly, however, the nature of an injury is that, although it might be an accident, it is often somebody else’s fault. If we are involved in a car crash, for example, it can be a traumatic experience and we often don’t know the best course of action to take. Sure, we will usually go to the hospital if injured and we will inform our insurance company, but then what?
Some people leave it at that and don’t even realize that they can make a claim when they are injured against the other driver, or even the local authority if they trip on a pavement and break their arm. As such we are now going to take a look at why you should hire a lawyer after you get injured and what they can do to help you.
1. They can help determine whether you have a claim
After injuring yourself it is often difficult to take stock and understand the severity of the situation. You may be in shock and suffering an awful lot of pain, and perhaps you have to spend time in hospital recovering, and in these circumstances, it is often best to immediately contact a lawyer. A lawyer, due to their experience, will be able to assess the situation straight away and understand whether it is possible for you to make a claim or not. If you do not take this step you will never know if you could have been compensated so you have nothing to lose.
2. They will make you aware of time limitations
Once it has been established that it is possible for you to make a claim for your injury, you need to understand the limitations surrounding the claim. Expert lawyers at SherrodAndBernard.com explain that there is a time limitation in most states by when the claim has to have been filed by, and there are also certain documents and information that must be included when you make this filing. Only a lawyer will know these details so it makes sense to use one rather than trying to navigate this difficult path alone.
3. They know what to say
When making a claim it is a fact of life that you will have to deal with an insurance company and a loss adjuster and this can be an incredibly daunting experience, as you will most probably have no idea what to say. Their objective will be to settle by paying the lowest amount of compensation possible and they will use every single word you say against you, no matter how innocent.
They will even record any phone calls and then will attempt to cherry-pick what you say in their attempt to discredit your words. You have to remember that they are not your friend. On the other hand, an experienced lawyer will know exactly how to deal with the insurance company and what to say, or more importantly what not to say, and as they are acting on your behalf they will have your best interests at heart.
4. They will assess the evidence against you
When you make a claim for an injury it is never plain sailing because your opponent, and more importantly, their insurer and legal team, will want to pay out as little as possible, and that is even if they admit guilt. They will come up with all sorts of spurious evidence to try and turn the situation around to make it look as if it was your fault, and you are the one that is injured! The brass that some lawyers have is unbelievable, so in this circumstance, it really is necessary to hire a lawyer who can scrutinize the evidence put against you and discredit it at the earliest possible opportunity. The sooner this is done the sooner you can start negotiating the final settlement.
5. They will handle the negotiation
This is the stage where it is most important to have a lawyer because you will be entering the final negotiation phase and any slip up here could seriously damage your chances of getting the level of compensation that you deserve. If you were entering this phase alone, how would you know what should be due for the level of your injuries? What is a broken arm worth, or whiplash, or even food poisoning as a result of undercooked food? Unless you have years of experience in the legal world, and more particularly handling personal injury cases you wouldn’t know where to start. By hiring an experienced lawyer you can be safe in the knowledge that they will use their years of experience to get you the highest possible settlement. If you have come this far with the services of a lawyer there is no point changing tack now. Use them to get you your deserved settlement.
6. You only pay them if you win
All the way through this process you can be safe in the knowledge that if your personal injury lawyer does not win your case for you, you will not have to pay them even one cent. This is because they all work on a no win no fee basis and this is incentive enough for them to work as hard as they can to drive up your compensation award as much as possible. The fact that a lawyer even accepted your case is a very good indication indeed because it shows that they expect to win, otherwise they wouldn’t have taken it on. So, take the sensible decision and let a lawyer handle your claim from start to finish.
As we have learned there are many reasons why you should hire a lawyer after an injury, not least because it is their job and they will be completely aware of all the pitfalls and procedures regarding how to bring about your claim. They know exactly how to handle insurers and their adjusters and are experts, seasoned, negotiators. If a counterclaim is made they can help refute spurious evidence, and best of all if they fail to win the case for you, they will not be due one penny in compensation. Having assessed all the benefits I’m sure you’ll agree on the best course of action after having an accident is to call a lawyer.
