Why It’s Important To Contact A Lawyer Right After Getting Injured
Getting injured in an accident is a living nightmare. No one leaves their home in the morning and expects to find themselves injured, in pain, or out of work later that day. Personal injuries can cause all kinds of long-term issues for those who suffer them, whilst also causing plenty of stress and worry about what to do next.
This is where contacting a lawyer comes into play. Finding an expert who can help guide you through the next best steps to take will change your outlook on your injury case. Let’s take a deeper look at why it’s important to contact a lawyer right after getting injured.
Finding a Lawyer
Before understanding what a lawyer can do to help you, you’ll first need to know how to find one. Often you don’t know whether to go with this law firm or that one, with no experience in this sort of situation making it hard to choose. Well, the simple thing to do is look for a firm or lawyer with plenty of experience in this field.
Personal injury law is a specialization that many lawyers decide to follow. These experts have spent years learning the laws surrounding personal injuries, insurance claims, and more, meaning they are the only people best placed to help you in your situation. If you find a legal team not specialized in personal injuries, move on and find one that is! It’s as simple as that.
Expert Advice
The first thing you’ll receive from a legal team – likely at an initial free meeting – is expert advice. They will listen to your story, building a deeper understanding of what has happened to you. They will then advise you on what the best steps to take are. This will likely involve them representing you in a battle against either your insurance, employer, or other guilty parties. Don’t worry, you won’t have to pay them initially, with most great firms offering a “no win, no fee” type of service. You’ll only pay them if you win!
They’ll Handle Everything
The next benefit of using a specialist attorney is the fact that they will do so much of the work for you that you’ll barely have to lift a finger once you’ve settled on your legal team. This allows you to sit back and trust them while spending the majority of your time focusing on what’s most important – your recovery. This is why it’s important to find a lawyer who has plenty of experience that you trust.
Gathering Evidence
During the following weeks, your legal team will gather as much evidence as they can to help build your case. This will include all medical information relating to your injuries such as doctor’s reports and medical bills, as well as finding other evidence that you may not have been able to find yourself, like CCTV. They’ll work with the police or other relevant authority to build a picture of how your injuries occurred, making sure they build the strongest case possible.
Filing The Claim
Once the case is solid, it’ll be time for your attorneys to file a claim on your behalf. This will go directly to your insurer or other relevant parties. The issue is, people often won’t agree with your lawyer’s figures, as most of them will try and get away with paying less. This is where the expert negotiation comes into play, as your attorneys constantly fight to get you the settlement you deserve. They will go back and forth with the opposing party until a final agreement is reached. Then, you’ll be able to accept or refuse the offer, as your attorneys explain whether they think you should or not.
Taking a Case to Court
If you refuse the offer and your attorneys agree you were right to do so, they’ll help even further by taking your case to court. Only about 5% of all injury claims make it to court, so hopefully, you’ll not be one of them. But, if you are, your attorneys will once again cover all of the hard work for you in preparing a case, examining witnesses, and challenging your opposition. Then, it will be up to the courts to decide on how much money you are awarded.
Overall, a lawyer will effectively take all of the hard work away from you, while doing everything in their power to ensure you get the settlement you deserve. While they work, you can focus on recovery, your mental health, and any challenges that lie ahead post-injury.
