5 Signs It’s Time to Call a Personal Injury Lawyer
Accidents can happen when you least anticipate them — on the sidewalk, at a building site, in a public space like a shop, or in a neighbor’s driveway.
While many mishaps don’t result in any harm, others can cause injuries requiring medical care. Understanding when to hire a personal injury attorney can be the difference between getting fair compensation and having to pay for it yourself.
Here are five indications it’s time to employ the services of a personal injury attorney.
1. Your Injuries are Serious or Permanent
If you’ve suffered significant injuries — broken bones, head trauma, back injuries, or anything requiring surgery or long-term rehabilitation — it’s time to speak to a lawyer. Serious injuries often mean months of recovery and time away from work. The medical costs can add up quickly, and insurance companies often try to avoid offering a fair amount of compensation.
The severity of the injuries will enhance the value of the lawsuit as well as increase the complexity of proving the extent of the injuries claimed. Insurers will attempt to minimize the pay-outs or challenge whether your injuries are as severe as you say.
A personal injury lawyer will negotiate not only your initial costs but your subsequent costs — lost wages, physical therapy, medication, and future care.
You can count on an experienced lawyer to get your medical records, interview experts, and create a thorough blueprint for how your injury affects your life. The legal professional will fight hard with insurers to make sure you’re not bullied into accepting inadequate compensation.
2. The Insurance Company is Stonewalling You
After you get into an accident, dealing with insurance companies might seem like adding insult to injury. Adjusters will hesitate to talk to you, deny liability, try to undermine the extent of your injury, or offer you a low settlement.
Remember that insurance companies are for-profit businesses. Their goal is to settle for as little as possible. And if they can get away with paying out nothing, they’ll like that even more. If your calls are being ignored or your claim is being questioned, that ’s a red flag you can’t ignore.
An attorney knows these tactics and how to address them so you get what you deserve.
3. Fault or Responsibility is Uncertain
Sometimes it’s not hard to figure out who caused an accident. But that’s not always the case. For instance, multi-car accidents, workplace accidents, and slip-and-fall accidents can involve multiple parties. These individuals may have contradictory stories. Under such conditions, figuring out who is legally at fault will require investigation.
Personal injury lawyers are trained professionals at establishing fault and gathering proof. Your lawyer can obtain crash reports, interview witnesses, and more.
4. You’re Suffering Economic Loss or Lost Wages
Lost work time, reduced capacity to work, or total inability to work in your chosen profession can slow or stop your cash flow.
Because of this, you shouldn’t accept a low offer. But without a lawyer on your side, you might not know what constitutes a lowball settlement offer.
Your personal injury lawyer will help you document lost wages, estimate future earning capacity, and monitor all economic and non-economic damages. Lawyers work primarily on contingency fees, so you’ll likely owe nothing until the process is complete. They won’t get paid unless you win.
Accidents are overwhelming enough without the added burden of legal confusion. Knowing when to bring in a professional can make the recovery process far smoother — and far more financially rewarding.
You don’t have to endure the pain and frustration of an accident alone. Your personal injury attorney can walk you through difficult procedures and help you get the compensation you need to move forward.
