The following contribution is from another author.
You never know when disaster strikes. One moment you’re going about your day thinking about all the exciting things that lie ahead, and the next moment you’re battling for your life in a hospital. The fact that the accident may have happened due to completely avoidable reasons adds insult to injury.
There is one way to punish these irresponsible or negligent folk, to speak in legal terms. It can be done with the help of a personal injury lawyer.
A personal injury lawyer offers a whole range of services that are very useful, particularly to those who’re injured. This article discusses those services in detail.
1. They help determine who was responsible for your injuries
Determining liability in a personal injury case is a tricky affair. To find out who was responsible for the accident, one must be aware of the elements of personal injury law, which are
Duty of Care
Breach of Duty of Care
Causation
Damages
Each element has to be proven before moving on to the next one. Each element also has its own set of complications that need to be addressed.
A personal injury attorney will breeze through all these complications. Their expertise in the law enables them to proactively manage your case and find out who was responsible for your accident.
2. They help calculate how much compensation you’re eligible for
If there’s one thing that’s as complex as determining liability, it’s compensation calculation.
You’re vulnerable to a whole range of injuries and losses. Without a personal injury lawyer, you may ignore illnesses or losses in the final settlement amount you’re requesting.
For instance, everyone includes medical bills and lost wages in their settlement requests. But most forget about future medical costs and future lost wages.
Then there’s non-economic damages like pain and suffering and emotional distress. There are separate formulas to calculate them. These are some damages that you may easily overlook, but your lawyer won’t.
3. They help prove the extent of your damages
Just listing your injuries and damages and saying you suffer from them isn’t sufficient. You need strong evidence to back them up.
This is one area where a lawyer excels. Lawyers are proficient at taking full advantage of evidence. They even go one step further and hire expert witnesses, if necessary.
4. They help negotiate with the insurance company
This happens towards the later stage of the personal injury case. The at-fault party’s insurance company will want to settle the case out of court, as it is convenient and quick. However, insurance companies may offer a pathetic amount as compensation and justify it by saying that your injuries aren’t that severe.
A lawyer can counter those baseless statements. They will be by your side during the negotiation and make sure that the insurance company doesn’t get in their way.
They will negotiate hard for you and make sure you get an amount that compensates for all your losses.
5. They help with representation in court
Very few personal injury cases go to court; to be more precise, just 4%. One of the main reasons why personal injury cases don’t go to trial is that they are expensive. They are not just expensive, they take time as well.
But there are instances where insurance companies just don’t budge on your lawyer’s requests. In such instances, your lawyer will take the case to court.
A personal injury court case is a completely different ballgame. Your lawyer will present the case before the judge and jury and convince them that your compensation request is a fair one. The chances of high compensation are better in a trial.
Final Thoughts
A personal injury case is filled with complexities, but all that can be overcome with an experienced lawyer. Your odds of success come down when you handle a personal injury case without a lawyer.
A lawyer will be beneficial to your personal injury case. If you’re a victim of negligence, reach out to one today!
