4 Reasons Why You Need A Personal Injury Attorney

Accidents happen – that’s a fact of life. Whether you’re in an automobile or motorcycle, the chances are likely that you will be involved in an accident at some stage in your life. Regardless of how careful you are at work or when driving, other people can still cause accidents, which can result in your involvement in accidents. While some of these accidents are minor, others can have very serious effects on your life to the point where you can no longer move or return to your daily routine.

Accidents are more common than you think, but this doesn't mean that you have to handle the situation all by yourself. Sure, you might think that working by yourself is cheap and convenient but this is a misconception. If you're involved in an accident, it's best if you seek the services of personal injury lawyers or attorneys because they have spent years learning the different intricacies of personal injuries. In fact, having one work for you can become your ticket to win legal battles in court and gain compensation.

To drive the point home, listed below are the reasons why you need to hire a personal injury attorney:

1. Are There Injuries?

In circumstances involving vehicle collisions, there is usually no need for seeking the counsel and guidance of personal injury attorneys (or even pursuing an injury claim). When an accident happens and there are no broken bones or significant injuries, from anyone involved in the accident except a few scrapes and minor bruises, and no hospital stay is required and medical treatment (if any) has costs below a thousand dollars, it will be financially unwise to file a personal injury claim or seek a legal professional.

Whenever parties are involved in minor accidents, they would usually opt to settle the occurrence on their own, which means that one party might offer payment for any car dents and repairs. This is an easier way of resolving the accident.

However, if there is anybody who suffers from broken bones, requires hospital treatment and overnight stays and there are medical bills surpassing $5,000 in costs, then you need to immediately find a personal injury lawyer. This is especially important if you're the injured party or the other parties involved clearly caused the accident. Your hospitalization and medicine will require costs, and the party-at-fault should cover all of these expenses.

2. Handle Disputes

After the heat of the moment has passed, insurance companies and any other victims may start passing the blame. Whether consciously or not, memories tend to get distorted as time passes. By constantly reviewing the documented evidence (and being paid happily to do so), these legal professionals will keep the facts straight, preventing any company or individual from mistakenly placing the blame or making false accusations.

If you don't have any experience in handling or working with insurance companies or making arrangements with other people, you might end up uttering the wrong information to them, which can result in penalties and fees. In worse cases, if you don't know how to control your emotions, you might get involved with a fight with the representatives from the insurance companies. If you don't want any of these to happen, it's best if you work with a personal injury attorney as they can represent you when dealing with insurance companies.

3. Cheaper

Most accident attorneys work on contingency, meaning they take a small chunk of your settlement payment—in lieu of charging you upfront fees—as a form of compensation. The larger your payment, the more they will receive because of their contingency percentage. This means that they will have more incentive towards working more diligently to ensure you receive every dollar you feel you’re entitled to. Except, these rates vary from attorney to attorney. For example, a California motorcycle accident attorney might charge different fees than a Nebraskan attorney. Therefore, it’s important, when you’re searching for a firm, if they charge by contingency, hourly or flat fees (as well as any upfront costs that there may be). In the end, it’s less expensive than going to court or seeking settlement on your own behalf.

4. Deal with Insurance Companies

Depending on the law firm, you may be placed on Medicare if you don’t have proper health insurance that covers medical bills and expenses in the case of accidents. Additionally, attorneys (and some motorcycle lawyers) act as a mediator between your goals and insurance companies, on your behalf, who are able to secure additional funds for you. It is well known that it is not in any insurance company’s best interests to hand over more money to you than necessary. While this doesn’t necessarily make them “evil”, per se, know that you may not be offered the best settlement payment that they have for scenarios like your case.

Conclusion

These are just a few reasons why you may want to consider hiring legal counsel to work with you during this traumatic time. Remember: personal injury lawyers earn their payment by a percentage of the gross amount of the settlement payment you receive. This means that, in theory, they are virtually free and require no payment. However, should you decide to seek legal counsel, it’s always a good idea to seek an attorney who practices only personal injury law.