Top 10 Reasons to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
After a preventable injury caused by another party’s negligence, you may be considering hiring an attorney. There are many reasons to do so, but here are the top 10.
A personal injury attorney will fight for your interests while you focus on recovering. In addition, they will be your advocate to your insurance company and can offer objective advice as they guide you through the claims process.
2. Experience
With their prior experience and knowledge of the justice system, they know what it takes for a claim to be successful. Filing a personal injury claim involves much more than a few documents and can be very complex. There are numerous rules and guidelines to follow, as well as timeframes to abide by. A personal injury lawyer will know all the legal intricacies involved in pursuing a claim and will ensure you have solid evidence of fault to support it.
3. Accurate Evaluation of Your Injuries
Insurance company adjusters are trained to settle claims quickly and for as little money as possible. If you sign the first settlement offered, it will likely be unfairly low and will not fully cover your losses. To avoid that possibility, a personal injury attorney can assess the extent of your injuries and losses and help estimate anticipated future losses. As a result, you will not risk losing out on the additional compensation you are entitled to recover.
4. Better Settlement
Studies show that injury victims with representation often recover two to three times more, even after lawyer fees. Although a lawyer cannot guarantee a favorable outcome, the benefits of hiring one are indisputable.
5. Save Time
Requesting medical records, reviewing police reports, and communicating with insurance companies are all very time consuming tasks. An experienced personal injury attorney will handle all of these seemingly daunting tasks and build a strong case for you.
6. Resolve Liability Disputes
If liability is unclear or the responsible party denies liability, a personal injury lawyer can provide protection by determining which parties are liable and collecting evidence. If the at-fault party can successfully place blame onto you, your compensation can be reduced under Pennsylvania’s comparative negligence laws. Furthermore, if the insurance company finds you are 51% at fault, you will be barred from recovering any compensation. Your attorney will provide credible evidence of your innocence to prevent this situation.
7. Threat of a Lawsuit
Insurance company adjusters may seem nice and as if they will be fair, but that is often not the case. Without legal representation, they will likely try to take advantage of you or may assume they can beat you in court. Hiring a personal injury lawyer means there is a valid threat of a lawsuit. As a result, the adjuster will take your claim seriously instead of wrongfully denying, delaying, or significantly undervaluing it.
8. Experience with Complex Cases
When multiple parties are involved in an accident, you may be forced to file numerous claims, or you may be unsure who to file a claim against. In this situation, an attorney can help you by investigating your accident to determine which parties should be held responsible and will deal with the insurance companies on your behalf.
9. Quicker Settlement
A lawyer can typically help expedite the injury claims process and get you paid quicker compared to injury victims who represent themselves.
10. There is No Risk
Most personal injury lawyers handle cases on a contingency fee basis, which means there are no fees upfront. They will cover all costs of handling your case, and you will only owe legal fees if you win.