A personal injury attorney refers to an expert who offers legal representation to injury victims who’ve been hurt either psychologically, physically, or both due to the recklessness of a third party. Personal injury attorneys deal with tort law which involves civil wrongs such as auto accidents, unlawful imprisonment plus company wrongdoing, etc.
Unlike many attorneys who require a retainer, personal injury lawyers often work on contingency fees. This means that in lieu of payment upfront, they receive an agreed-upon percentage of the settlement in case of a win.
Here are reasons why you should hire a personal injury lawyer
Help you get a fair compensation
You may have been involved in an accident that was not your fault. The person who caused the accident may have been insured. If so, you may be able to get compensation for your injuries and other losses.
Personal injury attorneys seek to represent clients who have been injured by the negligence or wrongdoing of others and to secure compensation for their clients’ losses. In addition to representing clients in traditional personal injury litigation (e.g., car accidents, medical malpractice, and products liability actions), personal injury lawyers handle many other types of cases involving non-physical injuries.
These cases include economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those that are measurable objectively: medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. Non-economic damages are more subjective: pain and suffering, loss of consortium (spousal relations), loss of enjoyment of life, and others.
An experienced personal injury lawyer knows what kind of compensation you are entitled to receive. They will work hard to get it for you. You should be compensated for all expenses related to your injuries, not just medical bills. Some examples of things you should be compensated for include: lost wages, pain and suffering, disability, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and more.
Negotiates with your insurance
The law says that you must try to settle your claim with the insurance company before you can start a court case. This is called an out-of-court settlement. You should try to make your best deal before starting a court case because court cases are expensive, take time, and are risky.
Although you can make your own agreement with the insurance company without a lawyer’s help, there are many things you should know about making settlements with insurance companies.
An insurance adjuster works for the insurance company, not for you. The adjuster will try to settle your claim for as little as possible. But even if you reach an agreement with the adjuster, they might not pay you more than a certain amount of money unless the claims supervisor approves it. Also, the adjuster probably will not tell you everything the law says you can ask for.
You may want to hire a personal injury lawyer to help you with this process. A lawyer can negotiate with an insurance company on your behalf and represent you in court if necessary.
Bottom Line
Finally, in addition to getting fair compensation for your injuries, a personal injury lawyer will fight hard to ensure that the insurance company takes care of any future medical needs resulting from the accident. They will also negotiate with them on your behalf so that all future communications go through them instead of you. This takes a lot of stress off of your shoulders so that you can focus on recovering from your injuries.