Not all personal injury cases require a lawyer, but when they do, the difference in outcome can be substantial. This is especially true if you are seriously injured and are struggling to receive a fair settlement from the insurance company. In most situations where personal injury is involved, it is generally a good idea to consult with an attorney to make sure you are getting the best possible outcome. Let’s explore a few scenarios in which experienced legal counsel can help you ensure a fair settlement.
1. The Insurance Company Refuses To Be Fair
Insurance companies are profit-driven, and your insurer may not be treating you fairly. A personal injury lawyer can help ensure a more balanced approach to your case. Be cautious and consider consulting a lawyer if any of these occur with your insurance company.
- Saying that a preexisting injury is responsible for your injuries and the insurer does not have to pay
- Blaming you for causing the accident that resulted in you getting hurt
- Delaying your claims processing, hoping you will get frustrated and accept a lower settlement
- Undervaluing your costs and damages such as medical bills, lost income, and property damage
- Asking for excessive or irrelevant documentation in hopes of prolonging the process and frustrating you
An insurance company may also avoid communicating about important details or deadlines. This can confuse you and put your rightful compensation at risk.
Here is a rule of thumb: If a lawyer takes your case, then your insurance company is probably being unfair, and your case makes financial sense for the lawyer to accept. This is because most personal injury lawyers work on contingency fee agreements. They do not get paid unless you settle with the insurance company or get an award in court. Your lawyer then takes the agreed-upon percentage of the settlement or award.
Personal injury lawyers weigh the financials and possible outcomes carefully to make sure your case makes sense on many levels before accepting them.
2. Your Injuries Are Severe or Long-Term
Any type of personal injury can lead to serious health issues. Their severity and anticipated length of the injury can usually indicate that you would benefit from consulting with a personal injury lawyer. This is true whether the cause of the injury is a car crash, dog bite, slip-and-fall, or something else.
Why? Several reasons, one being that cases involving serious injuries are unique. It is not really possible to plug numbers into a calculator and come up with an accurate range of compensation like it might be for minor cases with property damage and minimal injuries.
Serious losses require a lot of nuance and consideration. A personal injury lawyer can negotiate the issues in your case and fight for you to get compensation in the high end of your range.
Serious injuries and long-term health issues increase the amount of compensation, or damages, you could be entitled to. Personal injury lawyers account for many nuanced factors when calculating the possible compensation amounts in a given case. The following factors often indicate serious and/or long-term injuries and can increase your compensation amounts quite a bit.
- Permanent disabilities, scarring, or disfigurement
- High medical bills
- The effect on your life, job, and future income
- Your pain and suffering (both physical and mental)
- How long your recovery is predicted to take
3. Your Case Involves Product Liability
There can also be additional complexities in cases involving dangerous or defective products. There is also the fact that huge corporations such as pharmaceutical companies and car manufacturers have a lot of resources to limit their legal exposure in product liability cases. It is necessary to link your injuries to the product, and that can mean a complicated chain of events that needs exhaustive documentation. A personal injury lawyer can find strong witnesses and evidence to make your case.
There are various types of product claims, each with their own types of proof. Common claims are failure to warn, design defect, and manufacturing defect. The latter can be relatively simple to prove with an expert witness in manufacturing processes. Personal injury lawyers should be able to find these types of experts on your behalf.
However, design defects can be trickier. You will probably have to show that the defect led to the product being unreasonably dangerous. Car airbags are one example of a product that can be dangerous but not always unreasonably so, given their benefits over the alternatives. Regardless, having a lawyer in your corner can help make sure you navigate through the situation in a way that will lead to the best possible outcome for your case.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer Today
A personal injury lawyer can help you with the complexities of insurance disputes, severe injuries, or product liability. Contact the Law Offices of Brent D. George today for a free consultation.
