When do you need a Personal Injury Attorney?

There are always questions people have after a severe accident such as what your recovery will look like, when and how you can return to work despite your injuries, and what the next steps you need to take are. One of the most important questions after an accident people will ask is if they need a personal injury attorney. Most of the time the answer will be, yes. The sooner you get to hiring one, the easier it is for the attorney to resolve your case. Below are some questions and answers as to why you should hire a personal injury attorney.

1. How serious are your injuries?

  • Maybe you slipped and fell at the grocery store and got minor scrapes or bruises or found yourself in a minor car accident resulting in a little more than just having your vehicle damaged. Situations like these happen often, and most of the time we are able to handle them on our own.
  • However, slipping or falling on a hard surface can break bones and cause concussions; even a “tiny” car accident can do serious damages to the soft tissues of the spine and back. If you do suffer any serious injury during an accident, the best thing to do is to contact an attorney right after it happens. Severe injuries can leave the victims with medical bills, medical treatments that take time, and in a lot of cases, no or reduced income to help pay for all the bills.
  • If you suffer from a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, or any other serious injury in an accident, hiring an attorney is extremely useful for seeking compensation you deserve as well as explaining how the process will look like and how much compensation you might expect. An experienced personal injury attorney will know the tips and tricks for pursing your case and will protect you during the entire claims process.

2.  Who caused your accident?

  • In order to make a claim, it is required for you to establish the other party who caused your injuries. If you do believe that occurred or that outside factors came into effect at the time of your accident, it is most certain you need a South Florida personal injury attorney to collect evidence and go after your personal injury claim. There are also situations where multiple parties can be at fault in accidents. Your attorney can distinguish all those parties and help you seek compensation from each. An example of this can be a medical malpractice case. You can file a claim against both the hospital where the malpractice took place and the doctor who performed the malpractice, depending on the situation. Another example can be in a truck accident. You might be able to pursue compensation from both the truck driver and the trucking company that the driver works under.

3. Have you spoken with the insurance company or liable party?

  • Many times, people that get into accidents don’t think about speaking with an attorney until they have spoken with their insurance company. You can actually contact Oregon Work Auto Accident Attorney before speaking with the liable party or the insurance company that covers the liable party. As a matter of fact, you’re better off letting your personal injury lawyer take care of all those communications. Insurance companies are in no hurry to pay out claims and may converse with you to get you to compromise your claim. If you already spoke to your insurance company, they probably triggered you into seeking an attorney to help you with your claim for the reasons mentioned below.
    • An example can be when the insurance company denies your claim. Hearing that can cause devastation and fear to many victims. Your attorney can help dispute the denial and come up with a solution for you.
    • Another example is when the insurance company takes a long time responding to your claim or delays payment on your claim. Time has passed since the accident and you still haven’t gotten a response from the insurance company that covers the liable party. Now you are lost and don’t know what you should do next. Perhaps you accepted a settlement offer from the insurance company, but the payment never arrived. Insurance companies tend to do that because they don’t want to turn that money over before they have to making it harder for you to pay funds such as medical bills and other expenses.
    • The insurance company issues a low settlement offer. Insurance companies will compensate you as little as they can hoping that you will settle with that amount. If you do accept the offer right away, there is a chance that you will not have enough funds to pay for your injuries. Saying yes to the initial offer can also prevent you from pursuing additional compensation in the future.

4. How much time has passed since your accident?

  • Depending on the state you live in, will determine how long you have to file a personal injury claim. This is why no matter where you’re at, you should always contact an attorney as soon as possible. If you wait too long, you are likely barred from presenting a claim.
  • If time has passed since the day of your accident, consult with a personal injury attorney to double check and make sure your claim is still valid before communicating with the insurance company or liable party. Contacting an attorney is the most common piece of advice to victims who suffered from a personal injury.

5. Do you have questions about your rights?

  • People don’t know much about their rights after a serious injury whether it was caused by a car accident, nursing home abuse or negligence, or a slip and fall. You may not know how much compensation you are really getting or should be getting, how long it will take to settle your claim, or even who’s liable for a certain type of accident.