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

Few Reasons Why You Deserve To Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer

Even after medical insurance, a quick visit to the hospital can cost you a ton of money or maybe a major part of your savings. While this, in itself, is a big blow, there are many other important things at stake. Any kind of injury can cost you weeks of salary, or get you fired, and many other such things. Personal Injury is quite serious to directly affect your life. Let’s begin with a brief introduction to Personal Injury. What is Personal Injury? Personal Injury covers all kinds of physical, mental, emotional damages of your body. In simpler words, a Personal Injury Lawsuit is filed when a person is hurt in any way because of ignorance or the act of someone else. There are many turns lawsuits like this can take. Many cases are settled through a court judgment, while many others end up in an informal settlement before any lawsuit. Whatever be the case, the pain and suffering of a victim must not be compromised at any cost! This is why you have to be careful while choosing a lawyer. For example, always do a background check for reviews on a lawyer - such as a look online for the Best Personal Injury Attorney in Lake Charles, before choosing one. Here Is Why You Should Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer: 1. Increasing Costs of Medical Insurance: It is a well-established fact that the costs of medical insurance are high already, and as if this was not enough they are still due for a hefty raise in 2019. In situations like these, it would be unwitty of you do not ask for compensation for your pain and financial wastage. While you are busy with the treatment procedure, let experienced dba lawyers deal with the legal proceedings of your lawsuit. 2. Legal Complications of A Personal Injury Lawsuit: A Personal Injury Lawsuit can get really complicated. There are many sides to a single lawsuit. Most of the insurance companies refuse to pay the full compensation amount to the victims. A good personal injury lawyer has years of experience in the field and has a clear idea of how to deal with insurance companies. A personal injury lawyer will even provide you with a third-person perspective on the case that is quite important. 3. Gathering Court-Valid Evidence: Only if your personal injury case doesn’t get settled before a lawsuit, it becomes very important to gather solid evidence to support your claim. A good Personal Injury Lawyer investigates the matter and collects all the necessary details that can be used as evidence in a court of law. 4. The Time Factor: Another important reason for you to hire a Personal Injury Lawyer is the time limit to file your lawsuit. The moment when a victim/ Plaintiff discovers an injury, the clock starts ticking. Depending on the injury, a time limit has been defined for a victim to file their case. While you are busy getting yourself the right medical attention and are preoccupied with your bills, a good personal injury lawyer will make sure to proceed towards a favorable outcome. There are many reasons for you to hire a personal injury lawyer. Make sure that the lawyer you choose specifically works in the field. Check for online reviews before picking a lawyer for your case. For instance, look for Personal Injury Attorneys in Lake Charles to get a list of renowned lawyers/ attorneys of Lake Charles area. Read Also: Learn How Personal Injury Claims Are Resolved In 5 Steps 6 Important Questions To Ask A Personal Injury Lawyer

What Independent Contractors Need to Know about Workers Compensation

Are you an independent contractor? What if a worker (employee) gets injured during the line of work? Would they compensate according to the fair rights of workers? Where many companies ought to ignore the rights of their workers or may not be completely aware requires the rule book again. If this happens, then definitely it is time to hire a Construction Workers Compensation Lawyer in Oregon to help you get the justice you deserve. Though there is a Seattle worker’s compensation attorney and even Texas is loaded with it, therefore rather than going unethical with your worker regarding his compensation rights, you might want to get an attorney. If you are an independent contractor you need to know about your workers' compensation rights. It’s the best way to stay in touch with reality and not even get cheated on by fake compensation claims of your workers. What does workers’ compensation cover? It is like an insurance program for your workers. This program covers their medical coverage, rehab expenses, and even partial wages when the worker gets injured during the work process. The new system of workers compensation replaces the traditional way of using the party that was somehow the reason for the injury during work. In exchange for not suing their employer and getting certain benefits in return for the injury or damage. Mostly workers’ compensation is governed under state law. Factors to be considered: The court determines whether the person is an independent contractor or a worker who fully deserves the compensation and is open to a number of benefits. These factors may be made under the state law that governs workers’ compensation or under the state of common laws. Scope of the Work An employee may work for one employer but when it comes to an independent contractor, they may consist of more than one employer. Whereas, employees are given specific working hours and independent employees set their own working hours. An employee works at a specific provided location and the situation is vice-versa for an independent contractor because he or she can choose any location for work. Control, Cost, Contract The most important distinction between an employee and independent contractors is the employer’s control over their actions. Independent contractors mostly fit the work according to how they would want it while the employees are scrutinized with their format of doing work. Keeping in mind that independent contractors are generally expected to pay for cost affiliated to work. Whereas, employees don’t have to bear the cost of the work at all. Employees are generally hired “at-will” to work and it can be ended by both parties. However, the independent contractor works under an agreement of time-span which is not amendable. You need Legal Assistance! Courts can evaluate the situation and easily encounter if the independent contractor falls for workers’ compensation or not. It is not only up to the employers. Only the legal guidance can state how different each case of an independent contractor or employee is for compensation with several rules and factors. If you are classified as an independent contractor doesn’t mean you don’t get workers’ compensation. It all depends on your case. Read Also: Shouldn’t On-Demand Workers Get Workers’ Compensation? Atlanta Law Experts: Know about Back Injuries Compensation Looking for a Gardener: 8 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Professional

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?

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