FAQs about Personal Injury Attorneys

Personal Injury Education

If you have been injured because of the actions or behaviour of someone else, you might be wondering how you can be compensated for your pain and suffering. The best thing that you can do is to contact a personal injury attorney. You can certainly try to file a claim without an attorney, but an attorney is there to help you and will know exactly what you should do to get the best result possible in your claim.

But, what if you have never used an attorney before? It is overwhelming to say the least. How can you know who to trust? Here’s a list of common questions asked about, or directly to, personal injury attorneys.

What Does a Personal Injury Attorney Do?

The first question that is commonly asked is about what a personal injury attorney does. To put it in simple terms, a personal injury attorney will help you file a personal injury claim. They help you by doing the following:

• Estimate the value of your claim, using the amount of suffering and pain that you have suffered as a reference point.
• Deal with insurance companies or a defendant’s attorney. They can handle the negotiations and speak up for you to make sure that you aren’t being taken advantage of or treated unfairly. The party that will wind up paying will do anything they can to not pay you, and the insurance company might even harass you about it. An attorney will keep them away from you, protecting you.
• Act as a middle man between all of the parties involved. Your attorney is your mouthpiece, representing you professionally to everyone involved in your case.
• Build your case. They will investigate the cause of your injury, look at all of the medical visits you have had, and look at the other party’s actions. This way, they can create a clear case in your favour, ensuring they have all of the needed information.
• Get you the best payout. They will work to get you the most money or other compensation from the at-fault party. They are there to support you and help get you what you deserve.

When Do I Need One?

It is true that not all cases of injuries require an attorney. You might find that an insurance company gives you what you perceive as a fair offer without too much trouble. But, if it doesn’t look like you are going to be fairly compensated for your trouble, then you should consult with a personal injury attorney.

If you have been seriously injured, it is best to consult with a personal injury attorney as soon as you can. If you can get things going quickly, the attorneys can get to work, acting as your mouthpiece between the insurance companies and the liable parties immediately.

If you are in the hospital or still undergoing medical treatment, you shouldn’t be fretting over how much things are going to cost you. Your focus needs to be on your recovery. An attorney can step in and handle all of the legal concerns, and you can just work on getting better.

Even if you are only vaguely wondering if you are due compensation, consulting with a personal injury attorney can help you know and understand what your situation is: how much compensation, including lost wages, that you might be entitled to as a result of the accident that you suffered.

There is also a concern about a statute of limitations, where your claim can expire after a certain period of time if you don’t file it in time. For that reason, get legal advice as soon as you can.

What is the Value of My Claim?

Another common question is how much money your claim is worth. There is no quick answer to this question. The value of your claim is figured out by taking into account the circumstance of the situation, what happened, and the amount of loss that you have suffered as a result of the accident. There is a lot to look at.

Your attorney will be looking at everything involved with your case, including:

• Your medical bills
• Lost wages
• Loss of ability to earn a paycheck
• Personal damage
• Property damage

There are a lot of factors at play with a personal injury claim. It is up to the attorney to look at everything to help you figure out what the right value is for your claim. But, these claims aren’t limited to only physical concerns. You can also get damages for the following:

• Psychological stress
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of joy
• Loss of lifestyle

You can have more than one factor involved, but it is the severity of all of these that will be calculated into the amount of compensation. There is a chance that you might be found somewhat at fault as well, depending on the situation, so that might also reduce the overall payout of your claim.

How Much Will This Cost Me?

One hesitation that many people have when it comes to calling a personal injury attorney is how much hiring one will cost. Luckily, most attorneys will be able to tell you what kind of payments they will expect when you have a consultation. Most attorneys in personal injury claims won’t ask for money right away, but instead work in a contingency capacity. So the fees will be collected on a percentage of your final claim reward. A good attorney should be able to intelligently deduce what your compensation should be at the start of the process. They are unlikely to take your claim if they think that you aren’t going to get anything.

It is better to call a personal injury attorney and get a consultation than it would be to just let it go and hope for the best.