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.

Read Also:

Consider Hiring A Patent Attorney For Your Business

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.

View all posts

How to Avoid a Toxic Divorce

Getting married is something almost 2 million Americans do each year. Most newlyweds fail to realize how hard it can be to keep a marriage strong. Over time, the people in a marriage may start to feel like they are growing apart and need to separate.Toxic Divorce cases can ruin the life of an individual. While divorce is never an easy thing, there are times when it is the best thing for a couple. The main thing a couple needs to do when getting a divorce is keeping things civil. Having a long and drawn out divorce can be very draining for both parties. Some of the things a person needs to consider when trying to avoid a toxic divorce Several things you need to avoid for your toxic divorce cases at your end to lead a happy life are as follows:- Staying Calm is Usually Effective One of the hardest parts of the divorce process is the initial conversation. Telling someone that you want a divorce can be very hard. Instead of going into this process angry and worked up, a person needs to calm down. Setting the tone for this process is easy when a person avoids screaming and being argumentative. Often times, it is best for a person to plan out what they want to say ahead of time. By writing these thoughts down, it will be much easier to get the point across. If a person is calm and collected during this initial talk, it can help their partner hear what they are saying and think logically about how to dissolve the marriage. Settle Disputed Issues Outside the Courtroom Each year, nearly 900,000 couples get divorced in the United States. In most cases, married couples will acquire homes and cars together. If a couple has children, this may also be a source of a dispute during the divorce process. Instead of taking these problems in front of a judge, a couple needs to consider settling these matters on their own. Learning how to compromise can help a couple get through a divorce with ease. If the parties involved in a divorce fight over everything, it is only a matter of time before things turn toxic. With the help of legal professionals, a couple can hash out the disputes they have in mediation. Don’t Use Kids as Leverage A divorce is not only hard on the people in a marriage, it can also be hard on their children. Ironing out custody issues can be an extremely difficult process. In most cases, the parents of the children will think they are better off with them. In toxic divorces, the parties involved will start to use the children as leverage. This can be extremely traumatic for a child, which is why a couple needs to avoid doing this at all cost. Talking with the children and getting their feedback on what they want to see happen can be extremely helpful. Separate Finances Immediately Having a joint bank account is quite normal for married couples. As soon as a couple sees the signs that divorce is imminent, they need to start untangling their finances. By doing this, the people involved in a divorce can avoid using money as leverage to get what they want. Getting a Lawyer is Important Trying to get through a divorce without legal help is nearly impossible. This is why a person will need to find a legal professional to assist them during this difficult time in their life. Read Also: Things To Consider Before Hiring A Divorce Lawyer How Long Does It Take To Get A Divorce In The UK? How To Get A Cheap Divorce In Texas

Bail Bonds: What You Should Know

Paying bail bonds are not as simple as it seems. Knowing and having the right understanding of how these work, how it is determined, what the payment methods are, and other important issues are very important for anybody who is facing an arrest or who has an arrested loved one. There are several questions asked online to shed light and find out what bail bonds are all about which you may also have, click here to find out the answers. What is Bail? It is a term to describe the release of a person arrested for a criminal offense before the end of the criminal case. It can involve - but not every time - the defendant paying money to a court; this is not a punishment. It ensures the court that the defendant returns to the court now and then while the case is ongoing. It ensures the court that the defendant does not fail to go to court without having to keep him in custody all the time. Bails are significant in both ends – the arrested and the authorities. It ensures that people, no matter if they have a case at court, are free and, also, it avoids having to jam-pack jails with offenders, while have not been convicted yet. With it, offenders can be released almost in any stage of the criminal justice process, either immediately after arrest or while the case is ongoing and the court has not issued a sentence yet. This means that if someone gets arrested, three possible scenarios can come to place: he is arrested and released without charge; he is arrested, charged, and released on bail; or he is arrested, charged and is held in custody until the verdict of the case comes out. Schedule of Bails This is a list of the amount of money applied to individual crimes and can be paid in terms of bails. State laws determine the amount appropriated for a crime, and they decide whether the arrested individual be released without posting any bond at all or if the individual is allowed to post any or not; or if allowed to post bail, should it be posted (and individual is released with it) after booking or should they wait for a hearing. If the state laws allow for immediate release after the appropriate amount is paid, the defendant can post this immediately and release will follow. But if the state law requires a hearing, the defendant will not be able to pay immediately after booking and be released, instead, he will have to wait for the hearing to ensure before anything else. Hearings During a hearing, the court would determine the amount applicably. However, courts do not always allow this; they can also deny it according to applicable state laws. If allowed, the amount will be determined using the following factors as a basis: Flight Risk Level: Sometimes defendants would escape the system especially when they are facing possible major sentences such as death or life imprisonment. These defendants are most likely to flee and escape the penalties. Degree of Connections to the Community: An individual who has a strong connection to the community where he belongs would be less likely to flee. For example, a defendant who has a business in his locality or whose entire family is in that locality, he will have a lesser likelihood of fleeing compared to individuals who have nothing to lose in that locality. Obligations in the Family: Sometimes the court will consider and require lesser bail to defendants who are responsible for the well-being of his family or who have other dependents. Assets and Incomes: When a defendant has a lot of money and/or assets, he may likely not be considered for a low amount. If the defendant is employed, the court may consider that the defendant may likely lose the employment. Court and Criminal Histories of Defendants: Especially individuals who have had histories involving failures to appear in court will most likely have to face higher bonds compared to those who are first-timers in court. Also, the court would look into the number of times a person may have been granted bail and have violated conditions related to the given considerations or who have failed to appear in court. The court will most likely impose higher bond amounts to these individuals as compared to someone without such history. The gravity of the Crime: More serious crimes require higher bonds and lesser serious crimes require lower bond amounts. Public Safety: If the release of an accused individual would pose a risk to the safety of others and/or the community, the courts would most likely refuse to allow bail. Examples for these are cases of treason, rebellion, terrorism, or conspiracy - a defendant charged with these crimes would most likely not be allowed to post bail. The Types of Bail Bonds Most of the time bail bonds are associated with money. The notion is that when one is arrested and he has the money, he can get out of jail immediately. However, it is more complicated than that. There are several questions asked online to shed light and know what bail bonds are all about which you may also have. Different states may have different types of bails, some may apply to another and in others, it may not. The different types may include cash bonds, signature bonds, property bonds, surety bonds, and others. Read Also: Under What Circumstances Can You Bring a Claim Against an Employer? Do I Need a Lawyer for a Car Accident that wasn't My Fault?

Know What To Do When You Get In An Accident

Accidents are inevitable. They just happen, no matter how cautious you are, the other drivers will not do the same. You need to keep in mind that even if you do not drive a vehicle, you can be a part of an accident. What you can do, however, is to know your rights in an accident. You need to know the dos and don’ts and what should be expected of you and the consequences of your actions. The best place to know all about your legal rights is through a legal firm Bellevue car accident attorney is one of the best in the market for such situations. Apart from a law firm, here are a few legal rights you should be aware of when you get into an accident. Know What To Do When You Get In An Accident: 1. Call The Police: Most authorities necessitate that you make a report of car accidents including injuries or property harm. In any occasion, you will probably need the accident to be reported to help later with the insurance-related procedure. If you were not to blame for the mishap, getting a police report can help validate your case and may likewise give valuable evidence down the line. 2. Make Sure Everyone is Ok: Check if any of the people involved in the accident are alright or need medical attention. Notice the accident scene to see if any hazards could bring on additional damage, for example, spilling gas or electric sparkles. Call for help promptly if there are any wounds. 3. Talk To The Other Driver: Get the other driver’s name, address, driver's license number and license plate number. Likewise, record a description of the vehicle and request to see their insurance card with the goal that you can use this information later. Try not to talk about the reason for the mishap or apologize as these statements can be utilized against you. 4. Take Pictures: Take photos of the area of the accident. Make sure that you take pictures of the following: - The area of the accident and position of the vehicles - The damage to your vehicle and the damage to the other vehicle involved in the accident - Evidence of debris on the roadway - Injuries if any and other things you think might be important. 5. Look For The Witnesses: Assess the scene and decide whether there are any observers. Request the observer's contact info and ask them to remain at the scene to state what happened. Check for any surveillance cameras close by that may have caught the accident, for example, a traffic camera or a camera from a close-by business. 6. Be Polite: Even though it can be easier said than done, be polite. You should not lose your temper and say things that can be used against you in court. You should never under any circumstances ever threaten the other party. 7. Legal Actions: Last but not least, you should always get a lawyer on your side to handle everything – from insurance to damage claims, from court case to talking to the witnesses and looking for pieces of evidence, they will take care of it all. Make sure that you do not lie to the legal authorities or everything in your favor will backfire and you might end up in jail instead of roaming around freely. Read Also: Personal Injury Attorneys Denver Tips and Tricks to Hire the Best Lawyer for Your Case

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