When Do You Need A Personal Injury Lawyer: A Guide For Accident Victims

Published on: 09 March 2024 Last Updated on: 19 March 2024

Accidents are unexpected and traumatic events that can have far-reaching consequences for those involved.

But if you are involved in a serious accident and it has left you with severe injuries, you might wonder if it would be worth hiring an attorney.

Thus, you would need an injury lawyer in every situation, but there are a few exceptional cases where you might suffer a severe injury. Hence, it might be best to seek legal advice from an experienced personal injury lawyer.

To mitigate your situation, you can contact an injury lawyer in Grand Rapids, as they will be able to give you the best advice.

In this article, you will discover when and where you would need a personal injury lawyer.

When Do You Need A Personal Injury Lawyer?

Many accident victims hire lawyers to assist them and navigate the steps of filing their claims. However, you might need to decide when to hire a lawyer after having an accident or whether you need legal assistance.

Hence, you do not have to meet specific criteria to hire an injury attorney after an accident. Thus, here is a list of situations when you need to hire a personal injury lawyer.

1. When You Have Significant Injuries

In recent days, the number of car accidents has increased to a significant level. The reports published by the WHO claim that the number of annual road traffic deaths has risen to 1.19 million.

If you have experienced a serious injury from a car accident, then you are likely to face hefty medical bills. Thus, you would need an attorney to mitigate this situation.

Hence, the personal injury lawyer will help you fill out the proper forms in order to receive your medical bills covered.

Similarly, auto accidents that produce injuries can warrant legal action against the defendants for compensation. Having legal assistance from the beginning can help you anticipate the best way to proceed after your serious car accident.

2. Your Accident Includes Different Parties

When an accident involves different parties, it becomes complex. Some countries follow a contributory negligence policy that permits insurance companies to assign a percentage of faults to all parties in an accident.

As a result, you need to hire a personal injury attorney to make sure you understand which insurance company to file your claims.

Therefore, car accident attorneys have extensive experience navigating various car accident cases.

Hence, hire an attorney to help you understand the procedure for filing an insurance claim. Moreover, they will communicate on your behalf with the insurance adjuster and all parties involved.

3. No Cooperation From Insurance Company

When you file for a claim with the at-fault party insurance company, you should be provided with payments to cover the accident expense without any issue.

Thus, the insurance company is in the business of incurring money. Moreover, they need to offer more payouts or even deny the claim outright to save money.

However, if the insurance company is not cooperating, you might need an attorney to negotiate for a higher offer and a wrongful claim denial.

4. Planning To Take Legal Actions

If you plan to take legal action against the at-fault driver or their insurance company, you need a personal injury lawyer.

Thus, if the insurance company completely cooperates with your claim, then at-fault driver’s insurance coverage might not be enough to cover your expenses.

On the other hand, you might want to pursue non-economic damages, for instance:

Emotional distress.
Pain and suffering.
Loss of enjoyment of life.

Thus, with the help of a lawsuit, you can seek compensation beyond what you might qualify for through an insurance claim.

Furthermore, you need a professional car accident attorney to guide you through the legal process, present you at the court, and help you gather the right evidence.

5. Difficulty In Compensation Claims

If you have difficulty receiving your claims, a personal injury attorney will help you obtain them.

However, you might feel stressed, traumatized, and overwhelmed when you file your claims or even talk about your accident. Thus, the professional will help you mitigate the situation and maximize your compensation. The attorney will determine for which you are entitled to make claims.

This will make sure that you are not taking advantage of the person held responsible. In return, you are offered a fair amount for your loss and suffering.

Hence, an attorney can take this burden off your shoulders, thereby assisting you move forward.

6. Difficulty In Carrying Out Details

Evidence plays a huge part in personal injury cases. Thus, when you face an injury, you must prove negligence and the duty of care.

However, personal injury lawyers are aware of this and will help you take your time to work with the evidence.

Moreover, in other cases, you can hire a lawyer to work with an accident reconstruction professional to help you establish a strong case.

Therefore, as a part of the investigation process, the lawyer will help you meet the eyewitness, gather surveillance camera feeds, and make sure the desired outcomes are met.

List Of Cases Personal Injury Lawyer Handle

Personal injury lawyer deals with a variety of cases.

Here is a list of some of the most frequent cases we deal with:

During a motor vehicle accident. It can involve a car, boat, motorcycle, and other vehicle.
During a wrongful death. It might be a traumatic situation, but a lawyer will help you receive compensation for many things.
Slip and fall accident.
Birth injuries. This situation can be traumatic for the families, and if it is due to a negligent mistake, then the family is entitled to compensation.
During a dog or animal bite. This accident can be more serious than a person might expect.

Hire A Personal Injury Attorney Today

Thus, we suggest you get an attorney as soon as possible after an accident to ensure that your claim is as strong as possible.

This is because the greater the evidence against the negligent party, the greater the chance of receiving a settlement.

So, appoint a lawyer quickly, as they can help you gather the evidence before it gets lost. Similarly, the lawyer will help you set settlements with an insurance company.

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Ankita Tripathy

Ankita Tripathy loves to write about food and the Hallyu Wave in particular. During her free time, she enjoys looking at the sky or reading books while sipping a cup of hot coffee. Her favourite niches are food, music, lifestyle, travel, and Korean Pop music and drama.

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Is DUI A Serious Crime?

DUI is considered a crime in every US state. The drivers of any kind of vehicle must operate their vehicle sober. When a person takes drugs, alcohol, or any prescriptive medicines then the ability to drive gets impaired and causes road accidents. Sometimes, these accidents can lead to death. To answer the question “Is DUI a serious crime” one can say that it is a serious crime. The details of DUI shown here can show the intensity of this crime and thus, it is really important to focus on DUI cases. However, all is not well when it comes to involving the traffic police. Sometimes, police officers tend to exaggerate the details and put someone in a difficult position. This type of DUI charge can put people in a tough situation because professional people have their reputations to maintain. In those situations, hiring a DUI defense in Oakland could be beneficial as lawyers know how to beat such charges. What Happens When A Person Is Convicted Of DUI? Once a person is convicted of a DUI, that person is subjected to receive some sort of criminal sentence. The most common sentence for DUI is the suspension of a driving license for some time. This time limit could be determined based on the severity of the DUI charge. Sometimes the suspension of a driving license could be accompanied by a fine, community service, or jail time. But if you had hired a good attorney, things wouldn’t go that far. DUI lawyers have the skills to find loopholes in the legal system and by finding them they can ask for lenient terms even for a driving license. Things like an ignition interlock device (IID) could be used in the personal car of that person who was charged with the DUI. Sometimes, the person could be able to go to work and restrict his driving in a particular neighborhood when lawyers know how to do their jobs. What Happens When DUI Charges Are Federal? Normally, the DUIs are processed by the state but when drivers mess with federal property, the charges could be from the federal court. This happens when a driver drives harshly through a national park and collides into a national monument, a military vehicle, or a federal building. Such crimes could have different sentences based on the civilian or military status of the person who had been charged with DUI. What To Do When Charged With DUI? If you have been in a similar position where bogus DUI charges have been filed against you, it is time to get a lawyer. Mass Tsang legal professionals can help you in this regard. Mass Tsang is a legal firm where the firm offers different legal services to those who require legal guidance. In the cases of Drunk under the Influence (DUI) or Drunk while intoxicated (DWI), skilled legal professionals can have your case dismissed or negotiate for a lesser sentence through community service and diversion programs. If the District Attorney doesn’t budge, there could be other ways to reduce charges. For instance, if the charged person wants to get his or her driver’s license back, then he or she needs to agree with the chemical testing to ensure that there is no alcohol in his or her blood. Read Also: Top 10 Colorado Springs Personal Injury Attorneys The Personal Effects Of A DUI Case On Individuals: By Counsellors Accident By Unlicensed Driver: How To File For A Compensation Claim?

Steps to Take After Being Involved in a Ridesharing Accident

Ridesharing is revolutionizing the way people get from point A to point B. Whether it's just to have a safe ride home after a night of drinking or a great alternative to purchasing your own vehicle, ridesharing is gaining in popularity. With more people getting rides than ever before, more car accidents are involving ridesharing vehicles. Understanding what to do if you're involved in a ridesharing accident can help to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve for the injuries that you sustained. Check For Injuries And Call The Police The first steps that you want to take after being involved in any sort of car accident are to check for injuries and call the police. You should start by checking yourself and other passengers. Then, check the other parties involved to see if they have any injuries. If anyone has severe injuries, you should be contacting emergency medical assistance immediately. If you have slight injuries, it's still a good idea to get them checked out by a medical professional at the accident scene. This way, your injuries are documented right from the start. Once everyone is checked for injuries, it's time to call the police. The officer will be responsible for creating an accident report. While you may not think that a report matters since it's not your vehicle that was involved, think again. Any ridesharing accident lawyer will tell you that having access to the accident report is a vital part of your claims case. Even if the drivers involved don't want to contact the police, you should do so yourself to ensure your future safety is looked after. Take Pictures And Collect Information West Coast Trial Lawyers will advise you to take pictures to document the scene. While you may have no stake in the property that was damaged, you should still have photo evidence of it. This can come back into play later when determining who was at fault for the injury. This way, your Uber accident attorney knows who to go after to seek compensation for the injuries that you sustained. Talk with witnesses and gather their contact information. Witnesses tend to leave the scene of the accident once an officer arrives. Therefore, speaking with them before the police arrive can ensure that you get the information you need before they leave. The more witnesses you have, the better chance your ridesharing accident lawyer will have at proving your case for injury compensation. You'll also want to get the information about the people involved in the accident. Start by collecting the contact and insurance information of your ridesharing driver. Then, get the same information from the other parties involved. If the other driver had passengers with them, then get their information to. Be sure to write down or take pictures of the license plates of the vehicles that were involved. Understand What Insurance Pays For Your Injuries One of the most confusing parts of being involved in a ridesharing accident is understanding what the insurance company pays for the damages and injuries that were a result of the accident. Does Uber's insurance cover the problems or does the Uber driver's personal insurance cover your injuries? Let's take a look at the different scenarios below. Hit By A Ridesharing Driver If you're in a vehicle accident that is determined to be the fault of the other driver who was in a ridesharing vehicle, the other driver's insurance is responsible for paying for your injuries. Keep in mind that each driver's insurance policy will have coverage limitations. If your compensation amount is above the coverage limit for the ridesharing driver's personal insurance, the ridesharing company's insurance will cover the excess if the driver was working at the time of the accident. Your Ridesharing Driver Is At Fault For Your Injuries When the ridesharing driver that you're riding with is determined to be at fault for your injuries, their personal insurance will cover your compensation. In the event that your compensation amount is over what the driver's personal insurance will cover, the ridesharing company will cover the excess if the driver was working at the time of the accident. What Is Considered Working By Rideshare Companies? West Coast Trial Lawyers will inform you that the ridesharing company will only pay if the driver was determined to be working. If the driver was not determined to be working at the time of the accident, the ridesharing company's insurance will not cover the excess of the compensation you get. Rather, you'll have to go after the driver of the vehicle personally for anything their insurance won't cover. Ridesharing companies like Uber and Lift have their own technology that allows them to communicate with their drivers. Drivers are required to update their status on their mobile device to tell the company what they're doing. As long as the ridesharing driver was logged into their application, the ridesharing company's insurance policy will kick in. However, there are some restrictions to their coverage limits. If the driver is logged into their application but has a status of waiting for a ride request, the ridesharing company's insurance has limited coverage. For Uber specifically, the limited liability coverage is 25,000 dollars for property damage and 50,000 dollars per injury up to a 100,000 dollar limit. In most events, a combination of the driver's personal insurance and the ridesharing company's insurance will take care of the compensation for your injuries. However, if they don't, your Uber accident attorney will take up suit against the ridesharing driver personally for the excess. In cases where the ridesharing driver has a status of being in route to pick up their passenger, then the ridesharing company's full insurance policy kicks in. Both Uber and Lift have a 1,000,000 dollar personal injury insurance policy. Remember that this policy kicks in after the driver's personal policy reach its coverage limits. Why Contacting A Lawyer Is So Important As you've found out above, there are many things to consider when you're involved in a ridesharing accident. Navigating the legal waters and determining what insurance policy or policies will be paying for your injury compensation can be difficult. Employing a ridesharing lawyer to help you along the way will ensure that you get the compensation that you need for your injuries. Your lawyer will be able to collect the necessary evidence from the ridesharing application to determine what insurance is covering the accident. They'll be able to take up suit against those companies and assist you in determining a proper amount of compensation for the injuries that you sustained from the accident. Most importantly, a lawyer will be able to do all the heavy lifting with your claims case so that you can physically and mentally worry about getting better. You don't want to be dealing with lawyers, insurance companies, and educating yourself on laws when you're injured. Being involved in a ridesharing accident may not be something that you've thought about before. However, since ridesharing is becoming more popular, you should be prepared with what you should do in the event that you find yourself involved in one. The above steps will help you to figure out how to proceed after an accident occurs. Read Also: Expert Advice: 5 Crucial Things To Do Immediately After An Automobile Accident 5 Types Of Damages You Can Claim After A Car Accident What To Do When You’re Involved In A Car Accident In Albany

How to Bring Up Divorce With Your Spouse

The breakup of a marriage is painful, and unfortunately, it isn't very uncommon. People in nearly every age group across every state can get divorced, and come to the decision is never simple. Even if two people are mutually unhappy in a relationship, most people don't know how to bring up divorce with their spouse. When you're asking yourself how to bring up divorce, it's time to start looking for answers. Do you need tips on talking about divorce with your spouse? You've come to the right place. After you read this post, you'll know the right next steps to take. How To Bring Up Divorce With Your Spouse : What do you say to your spouse when you're thinking about divorce? What do you do to prepare yourself, and make things as simple as they can be in a tough situation? We're here to ensure that you take the right steps. If you're wondering how to talk about divorce, make sure you follow these steps. Be Sure : A divorce is a life-changing event. It can change your life, make your family happier in the long run, and cause chaos in the present. You need to make sure that you're absolutely ready for the aftermath of suggesting such an intense event. Divorce should be an absolute last resort for every couple. Have you spent time in therapy as a couple or by yourself? Do you think this is the only way to personally be happy and save your family? If you answered "no" to any of the above questions, you may want to rethink your decision to divorce. Do Your Homework : In a perfect world, every couple would break up amicably and divide up assets and time with children. But unfortunately, it's rare for a divorce to go the way that you'd like. Before you talk about divorce with your spouse, make sure that you understand what could occur if you choose to go through with it. Don't assume that you'll receive or pay a certain amount of alimony. Don't think that you'll automatically get full custody if you're a mother, or that you won't be granted it if you're a father. Research every possible outcome before you commit yourself to divorce. There may be outcomes you haven't thought of, and they may make you want to rethink your decision. Talk To A Lawyer : We talked about the importance of doing your own research before you talk to your spouse about divorce. While you're doing your own research, look up a great divorce lawyer. Nobody knows the law as a lawyer. Whether you're trying to get a divorce in New York City or need to learn how to get a divorce in Texas, a lawyer will always know more than an amateur researcher. A consultation fee for a lawyer could end up saving you thousands during the course of a divorce. Pick The Right Time : There's a time and a place for everything, and you want to make sure that you pick the right time when you bring up an important topic. Never bring up the possibility of divorce when you're having a fight. People can say the wrong things in the heat of the moment. Your words could be seen as a reaction to the situation, or you could end up saying something you'll regret. Make sure you bring things up when you both have an extended period of time together. A bedtime conversation may not seem like the best time to talk, but it's better than bringing it up when you're trying to get the kids ready for school. Think About Execution : If you're thinking about how to approach a divorce with your spouse, it's safe to assume that you have a lot of things on your mind. The conversation you have will be important, so you want to make sure that you're fully prepared for it. The easiest way to do this is to take time to think about how you want to handle the conversation. Do you want to sit down with them and have a long conversation about why you're leaving? Do you want to keep things short and to the point because you're worried about their reaction? Think about how you want to handle the talk. Once you have an idea, you can start thinking about the actual conversation. Accept Hurt Feelings : One of the reasons why it's so difficult for people to bring up divorce is because they don't want to hurt their soon-to-be ex-partners feelings or deal with the stress. If you want to make the divorce talk easier on yourself, accept that there are going to be some hurt feelings on both sides. There is no painless way to end a marriage. There's no way to stop your spouse from feeling bad, and you can't avoid feeling stressed or upset about the end of your marriage Once you accept that things are going to be tough, the talk will be much easier. Stay Calm : Staying calm when you're making the biggest decision of your life may seem impossible, but if you want to do what's best for you and your family you need to stay calm and clear-headed. Raising your voice, getting angry, or bursting into tears can feel like the right thing to do, but getting emotional can make an already intense situation more stressful. Some people find that it's easier to stay calm after they've had time to rehearse what they're going to say. Others chose to do something relaxing before they have a big talk. Find a way to center yourself, and prepare yourself emotionally for the conversation. Be Honest : If there's ever a time for honesty in a relationship, it's at its end. There's no point in holding things back. When you're talking about divorce, be honest with your partner about why it's ending. It's possible, to be honest without being cruel. You don't need to be nasty or mean about what you say, but you can tell them the truth about why you want to end things. Whether you're divorcing because you're falling out of love, incompatible sex drives, or conflicting personalities, your spouse has a right to know. Next Steps to Take : Now that you know how to bring up divorce, it's time to take the next steps. Read our article on how to find the right lawyer for your family. Having a trusted lawyer can help make the divorce process much easier. If you're interested in other content about love and marriage, read posts in our lifestyle section for more helpful advice! Read Also : Divorce Lawyers In Houston Texas: A Short Guide On Saving Your Marriage 4 Tips For Dealing With A Family Business In Divorce Picking The Right Law Firm For You And Your Family

When Do You Need A Personal Injury Lawyer: A Guide For Accident Victims