When you have been injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, recklessness or intentional act, you will probably want to file a personal injury claim. As an injured victim, this is your legal right. However, depending on the circumstances, you may think you should represent yourself in your claim. While you might think doing this can save you money, the best thing you can do in such a situation is to hire a personal injury attorney. Here are several reasons why you should hire a lawyer to handle your claim.
Knowledge of the Law
Obviously, one of the biggest reasons to hire a personal injury lawyer is that they know the laws in your state. For instance, there is a statute of limitations in each state pertaining to the amount of time you have to file a personal injury claim with the court. In most cases, an injured party wouldn’t know this information. Your attorney can ensure that your claim is filed within the appropriate amount of time, usually within two years of the date of the injury. If you chose to handle your own claim and were unaware of the laws, you might file too late and your case would not be heard.
Objectivity
Personal injury attorneys are objective and better equipped to handle a personal injury case. If you were to represent yourself, on the other hand, you might be too emotional since the matter involves you directly. In turn, you might not think as clearly and might jump at any settlement amount you are offered instead of thinking it over first.
Experience Working with Investigative Teams
Personal injury lawyers have the experience needed to investigate the details of the situation if necessary. They can recreate the accident scene if the evidence is unclear and even have investigative teams at their disposal. As a result, they can prove the facts surrounding your case and help to build a strong argument to prove how the accident occurred.
Experience Dealing with Insurance Companies
In many cases, when you suffer an injury after a car accident, you have to go through the at-fault driver’s insurance company to recover compensation for your medical bills and other expenses related to the accident. Your attorney knows all the tactics and tricks that insurance companies try to pull when it comes to getting a settlement offer. While an injured victim does not know how to maneuver through this and can often fall prey to an amount that is far too low to cover their damages, a lawyer won’t settle for just anything. They will strive to get the maximum settlement possible and won’t be fooled by an insurer trying to lowball you.
Knowledge of Alternative Resolutions to a Case
Most personal injury claims reach a settlement fairly quickly and don’t go to trial. However, there are always exceptions. If the defense is particularly difficult or the insurance company doesn’t want to pay a settlement, your personal injury lawyer can turn to alternative means to reach a resolution, such as through mediation or even a trial if necessary.
Saves You Time and Energy
Hiring a personal injury attorney can save you precious time and energy as well. If you were to represent yourself in your claim, it might mean you have to take time off from work or other things you need to attend to because you would have to go through your medical records and bills, speak with doctors and insurance adjusters and much more. All of this takes up a lot of time and is not appropriate for the average layperson to handle on their own. An attorney has experience doing these things and has the knowledge necessary to effectively handle them.
Experience Working with Other Lawyers
Personal injury attorneys are invaluable in that they have experience working with other lawyers. A number of other factors can affect your personal injury claim, which means your attorney can work with other lawyers to come to a solution that works best for you. They are also well-equipped to deal with the other party’s or an insurance company’s lawyer.
No Fee Unless You Win
Another good reason to hire a personal injury lawyer is that it can actually save you money in the long run. Although you might think it’s expensive to hire an attorney to handle your personal injury claim, the fact is, you don’t pay unless you win your case. Personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means if you win, you pay them a portion of your settlement. However, if your case is not successful, you won’t have to pay at all.
These are compelling reasons to hire a personal injury lawyer. In the end, it’s always worth having one on your side during your case.