Accident injuries can be absolutely life-altering. You may feel like your life was turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Regrettably, there are more than 24 million emergency department visits annually for unintentional injuries in the US. Sadly, about 200,000 unintentionally injured people die each year, but personal injuries come in many forms and are often not the victim’s fault.
You may have been hurt in a car accident, on the job, by slipping and falling, or in some other way. Regardless of the cause, you understandably want justice. You may be reeling emotionally and hurting financially. Under such circumstances, you might be asking yourself if it’s worth it to hire a personal injury attorney.
The idea of retaining a personal injury lawyer for a settlement may feel like you are taking on more work for yourself. In reality, though, an attorney specializing in personal injury cases will go to bat for you, taking much of the burden of your claim off your shoulders.
You can trust an experienced team of lawyers to fight fiercely on your behalf, advocating for just and fair compensation. In fact, personal injury victims who hire experienced personal injury attorneys often get better settlement results than victims who file cases on their own.
Potential Compensation in a Personal Injury Settlement
Personal injury victims often find themselves facing many hardships, including high medical bills, lost wages, and long-term pain and suffering. When people have been seriously hurt in an accident, they deserve full restitution for all they have suffered.
An accident victim may be eligible for damages including:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
A personal injury attorney will take all possible compensation into consideration when establishing the value of your claim. Working with a knowledgeable and supportive lawyer could result in the best prospects to collect just and fair damages for your injuries.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Get You More Money
A study by the Insurance Research Council found that people with an attorney typically secure 3.5 times more money in injury settlements, compared to those who try to negotiate by themselves.
Personal injury cases can be tricky and the value of having an adept legal team on your side should not be underestimated. A personal injury lawyer can employ experience and resources to help you get the best settlement result in the following ways.
Investigating the facts of the accident
When you hire a lawyer, his or her entire legal team can get to the bottom of what happened. By reviewing medical records, examining incident reports, and interviewing eyewitnesses, your attorney can establish the facts of your case. Such research provides valuable evidence to support your claim.
Tracking down negligent parties
Identifying the negligent party in a personal injury case is not always black and white. Often, there is more than one negligent party involved. There could be multiple liable drivers in a car accident, for instance. Or the manufacturer of a faulty product is the third involved party. Government entities who failed to install proper signage, or even a bartender who over-served a driver, are also worth examining in certain cases.
A skilled and knowledgeable personal injury lawyer will know how to analyze your case to make sure that every potential negligent party is identified and held accountable. When a third party is involved, you could receive additional money for your claim.
Assessing the long-term effects of your injuries
Personal injury attorneys can work with your medical team to assess the future effects of your injuries and recovery. In this way, future medical costs and lost income potential will be calculated into your settlement agreement.
Calculating pain and suffering
Placing a monetary value on your damages can be difficult. Your lawyer can help you calculate your losses for the highest possible settlement. Often, in order to calculate pain and suffering, actual damages are added up. These may include medical bills, rehabilitation costs, property damage, and lost wages.
Then, that total is multiplied by 1 through 5, depending on the severity of the injuries. The resulting number is the compensation amount your attorney will negotiate for.
Negotiating with insurance companies
The tactics often employed by insurance companies are designed to pay you as little as possible. Insurance adjusters know how to intimidate injury victims and delay your claim settlement for lengthy periods. A personal injury lawyer can step in and deal with the insurance company on your behalf.
Personal injury victims who have a reputable law firm on their side have a much better chance of receiving the money they deserve. This is, in part, largely due to the fact that insurance companies realize that picking a fight with an experienced, proven personal injury lawyer will, in the long run, cost them more in legal fees than they feel the claim is worth.
Representing you in court if necessary
The majority of personal injury cases are resolved with a settlement rather than a trial. However, in the event that your case does go to court, there is little chance that you will come away with compensation without a lawyer by your side.
Going to court is a complex and confusing process that requires legal expertise and knowledge. Your lawyer will ensure that all the necessary documents are filed properly and within the required deadlines. Then, at trial, your attorney will present persuasive evidence and argue your case for complete and just restitution.
There are many benefits to retaining a personal injury lawyer if you have been seriously hurt in an accident. Securing legal representation will enable you to focus on your recovery and more often than not, leads to a more substantial settlement agreement.
Empower Yourself With the Law
If you have suffered a severe personal injury that may be due to someone else’s negligence, don’t accept a tiny settlement offer that minimizes what happened to you. New Jersey law supports your right to sue for current and future medical bills, loss of earning potential, pain and suffering, and more.
Getting a professional legal opinion is something every accident victim should do. This should be your first step.
Preparing and filing a personal injury claim on your own is extremely difficult and daunting. After all you have suffered, you owe it to yourself to explore your legal options and get the assistance and camaraderie you need. By taking the time to speak with a personal injury lawyer, you can be confident in how to proceed with your claim.
Get Answers During Your Free Case Evaluation
When you find yourself in a personal injury dispute, the opposing party is going to have a team of legal professionals on their side. The insurance companies across the table are represented by lawyers who negotiate and litigate personal injury claims exclusively. If you don’t have an attorney, you’ll be facing these seasoned legal professionals alone.
Many personal injury attorneys offer their potential clients a free case evaluation. During this session, you can get your case looked at and come away with free legal advice. The attorney who examines your potential claim will take into account the evidence already available and calculate the likelihood of you coming away with a favorable settlement or verdict.
You don’t have to go it alone. There are highly experienced attorneys ready to help you. If you want to come away with the highest compensation figure possible to support your injury for the long term, it is in your best interests to have a qualified personal injury lawyer by your side.
Content edited by personal injury attorney Judd Shaw. From the beginning, Judd established a set of Core Values laying out the pursuit for excellence in client service. He is a regular host of the Working The Wow podcast, with the belief that providing an exceptional client experience is just as important as delivering a quality service or product. You can find us in Red Bank and Tom‘s River, New Jersey.