As grim as this may sound, accidents are an unavoidable part of everyday life, and there is very little thing we can do about it. For instance, recent research says that more than 1 million Americans suffer a trip, fatal injury and slip every year. This number does not include car accidents and workplace injuries. Although we, by definition, can’t avoid these situations, we can at least make sure we are properly compensated for the emotional and physical trauma we have experienced.
The amount of that compensation will, to a large extent, depend on how capable we are to present our case in front of authorities. Let us take a look at a couple of compelling arguments why you should leave this job to a professional injury attorney.
Great understanding of legal processes
Going against the insurance companies and trying to get an appropriate personal injury settlement is a very intricate process riddled with complicated legal terms and procedures. Even if you have a good idea about how a settlement might be worth, trying to navigate this legal labyrinth on your own can prove to be very messy, tedious and inefficient. This gap in your legal knowledge can be easily exploited by the insurance companies, and you can easily lose your case due to poor phrasing and minor technicalities.
A realistic assessment of the claim
In the previous example, we have mentioned that you might have a good idea about the worth of your claim. The problem with this is that very few people do. As a matter of fact, getting a high insurance settlement goes way beyond doing simple math and settling for the most reasonable sum of money. In most of the cases, you will either overextend or ask for too little. However, an experienced expert familiar with all the subtleties of your specific case will know how to properly put a value on all the pain and suffering by:
- Analyzing your injuries
- Factoring in insurance policies and strategies
- Estimating medical needs
- Professionally assessing pain and suffering
An attorney gives you leverage
You, as an individual, are a pretty minor cog in the grand machinery of the legal system. That means you have very little bargaining power and can be easily pushed over by insurance companies and corporate entities you might be going against. However, with a reputable compensation lawyer at your side, things are completely different. The insurance companies will know that people backing you up to have years of experience with cases like yours so they won’t try any power-play moves and will be much more open to negotiation.
Taking your case to the trial
Most of the personal injury cases are settled between involved parties and never end up in court. For the insurance companies, this is the worst-case scenario. That brings us back to the leverage and bargain power story we have just talked about. If you hire an experienced attorney, the people you are going against will be aware that you are not only willing but also capable to push your case to the court and reach for the highest possible settlement worth. That gives you a lot of negotiation power.
Handling the dirty work
When we say the dirty work, we don’t mean anything shady or suspicious. But court cases are an uphill battle that asks for a lot of patience, strategy, soft skills and often unpopular psychological moves. All these things are something an ordinary person experiencing injury and seeking fair compensation shouldn’t even think about let alone engage in. Even more so taking into consideration that you have an entire army of trained professionals whose only job is to fight these uphill battles and handle complicated face to face situations instead of you.
Personal injury attorneys are motivated to help you
Last but not least, we have to point out that most of the personal injury lawyers out there work on a contingency basis. In other words, if they don’t win the case, they won’t be paid, at least in a satisfactory manner (it really depends on the arrangement). But, in either of the cases, you are still getting a highly-trained and experienced professional how has every possible motivation to fight for your cause till the very end and even push your case to court if necessary. You can’t ask for better circumstances before filing your request.
These were the top six compelling reasons why you should hire a personal injury attorney before filing your case. However, we can pretty much sum them all to one. Injury attorneys are experienced professionals trained to handle cases like yours with speed, ease, and confidence. Even with all the best wishes in the world, you can’t expect to achieve the same level of proficiency. If you have experienced an injury, you have already suffered enough. Make sure at least that you are properly compensated for the trouble you’ve been put through.