If you are hurt in motor vehicle accident, even if you are pedestrian, you may need a personal injury lawyer. The same is true if you slip or fall on an icy walkway or get hit by something that falls out of a window. Many personal injuries that require a personal injury lawyer tend to be from automobile accidents, but that may be because they are more common.
1. Assess your injury
If you have been in a car accident you are more likely to be physically hurt. You might even be more injured than you first thought. If are involved in a car accident where you get hurt, get immediate medical attention and if it still hurts later, talk to your family doctor and then consider whether you might need a personal injury lawyer
You do not have to deal with any type of injury that was not your fault, on your own. Get medical assistance and then get legal advice. You deserve the best medical attention and you should also have the best possible legal representation to look after your personal injury. You might also be out of work and out of pocket and there could even be short or long-term disability or paralysis.
There may be many unexpected and unwanted expenses and you may need a personal injury lawyer to recover those monies from those who are responsible pay for those expenses.
2. Hire a lawyer
The first step to hiring a personal injury lawyer is to get an opinion from one of them. You can find them in the yellow pages or online or check with family and friends for their recommendations. Most will be happy to talk to you, review your case and then give you an opinion about your case and its chances for success.
They can also estimate what your claim might be worth and the steps that you can take to negotiate a settlement based on that amount. Many personal injury lawyers will not even charge you for that initial consultation.
3. Decide on a fee
If they agree to take your case, you can often negotiate a fixed fee, an hourly rate, or a contingency fee. That is the most common approach and contingency fees are the norm in personal injury law. This system allows them to collect a percentage of what the final compensation may be for your injury or accident and you don’t have to pay anything upfront. This is particularly good for people who may be struggling with medical bills and loss of their job or income.
4. Navigate the legal process
There are two main reasons for hiring a personal injury lawyer. They are getting your medical bills paid and negotiating with insurance companies. Getting your medical bills paid is a priority since you may still have outstanding treatments and issues to be dealt with. The surprising thing that many people discover after being hurt in an accident there are many items that are not covered under medicare.
They might include walkers or wheelchairs or pharmaceutical drugs like painkillers which are very expensive. There might also be pain and suffering damages that need to be compensated for as well as future medical treatment and procedures and associated costs.
5. Negotiate with insurance companies
The second main reason for hiring a personal injury lawyer is for assistance in negotiating with insurance companies. Insurance companies can make it very hard to collect payment from and often put barriers and roadblocks in the way of settling a personal injury claim.
A personal injury lawyer can serve as your intermediary with the insurance company including any discussions and negotiations about the amount of damages. They can help you avoid any delays, and resolve any complications to your satisfaction.
