If you suffer a personal injury
or somebody close to you does and dies as a result, you may be able to make a
claim for compensation, especially if the personal injury was down to
third-party fault or negligence. An incident which leads to personal injury –
either physical or mental – such as a car accident can be one of life’s worst
experiences. More often than not, accidents lead to serious physical and
emotional scarring which does not go away and it remains with the injured party
for the rest of their lives.
In such a situation, it is in
your best interests, both financial and personal, to hold the person, persons
or organization responsible for this injury to account by bringing legal action
and making a claim for compensation. There are many firms out there with
specialist personal injury lawyers such as Bond & Taylor Injury
Lawyers who are
ready to take your case forward.
#1: The Role of a Personal Injury Lawyer
A good personal injury lawyer
will take over your case
in its entirety,
giving you the time and space you need to fully recover from your incident. You
will only be involved in a case where you must be and, often, claimants –
that’s you – don’t have to lift a finger, especially if the crux of the case is
relatively straightforward and there is lots of precedent for it.
A personal injury lawyer’s
responsibilities include –
- Negotiating on your behalf with other attorneys, insurance companies, and other parties;
- Helping you to document and prove any pain and suffering;
- Bringing their experience and knowledge forward to help decision-making;
- Determining who really is at fault for your injury;
- Navigating the complicated judicial process;
- Contacting and bringing forth expert witnesses;
- Ensuring any documents and evidence are filed correctly and on time;
- Advising on appropriate courses of action and helping out with medical bills;
- Guiding you through the negotiation process and, if necessary, to trial; and
- Helping you access the highest amount of compensation possible.
When we say that a good personal injury lawyer will be able to
handle the entire process, we mean it. It is in the interests of both yourself
and any other involved parties, including your lawyer, for the legal
professionals to handle as much as possible without involving you. In short,
personal injury lawyers spend their time and energy on your case so you don’t have
to. It’s their job, after all!
#2: Your Injury Doesn’t Need to Be Serious
You don’t need to have suffered a
catastrophic and truly life-changing
injury to bring a claim. In fact, even the smallest and most minor accidents
can cause enough physical or emotional damage to warrant compensation. The
severity of an accident is not always the best indicator of long-term damage.
For example, your car may come out of a car accident relatively unscathed, but
the trauma you suffered emotionally can quite easily cause PTSD months down the
line. You can also suffer from low-level physical injuries such as whiplash or
concussion, and these do not always present themselves straight away.
Your first port of call after an
incident, however minor, should be a trip to see your doctor, either by going
to the emergency room or making an appointment. Not only does this help you get
treatment for any injuries you are unaware of,
it also protects your injury and strengthens your legal case.
When you bring your case forward,
a specialist personal injury lawyer will examine its details and figure out the
best way to resolve it to your benefit. In some cases, going to trial is
necessary, however, a lawyer will always avoid this where possible and instead
negotiate a settlement. Going to trial is time-consuming, stressful and can be
expensive. Of course, the burden of the cost will be put on the party which
caused the incident, so cost is not something you need to worry about.
Personal
injury cases are not exclusive to car accidents, either. A personal injury case is any
situation which involves an injured person. Whether it’s an accident that took
place on the road, on the job, it happened because of a slip, trip or fall or
is the result of a violent assault, you can still have a case for personal
injury. As a result of injuries sustained, you could be entitled to not only
compensation but the payment of medical bills, recuperation of lost wages and a
payment to cover any future loss of earnings.
#3: Focus on Yourself and Loved Ones
When you’ve been involved in an
incident, the most important thing you can do is focus on getting better. An accident
is not only stressful for you; it is also stressful for your close friends and
family, and you should use whatever downtime you have for recovery to focus on
them as much as getting better.
When you’re recovering, you have
more important things to worry about than how to plan a negotiation or
deposition; leave this to the lawyers. One of the first things to do in the
event of an incident which causes an injury is to seek medical attention and
let the immediate aftermath of the situation calm down, then contact an
attorney.
Even if you don’t think you have
been seriously hurt, it is still worth contacting one for a free consultation.
You never know what you might be missing out on and it holds the person or organization responsible to account. It’s the
fair and just thing to do.
Being involved in an accident which causes you mental or physical
injury is stressful and, as such, contacting an attorney may not be the first
thing on your mind. It is important to get around to this sooner rather than
later and contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer or firm of lawyers
is the best way you can protect your interests, focus on recovery, and get the
compensation you not only deserve but are legally entitled to.
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