FAQ
Simple answer no. However, on average, those who hire a personal injury lawyer tend to receive more money once the case has settled than people who attempt to represent themselves. Even after the compensation has been deducted the amount a client is left with usually tends to be significantly larger. Not to mention, all of work that could be lifted off your shoulders by hiring a lawyer. It's important to find an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible when you've been injured. They can help you protect your rights, investigate the incident, handle communications between insurance companies and the at-fault party, and give you the results you deserve. This will also provide you with the time you need to focus on your self-healing
On average, those who try and represent themselves tend to receive a lot less money than ones who hire a personal injury lawyer. You want a professional on your side if you decide to go to court. Going about it on your own, you can make a ton of mistakes. It is not an easy process to represent yourself. Not to mention, mistakes you make when representing yourself could result in you not receiving the settlement you deserve.
Common mistakes people make are giving the wrong recorded statement; demanding either too much or too little; accepting your insurance company’s offer; and not including all your damages from the accident. A personal injury attorney with experience will not make these common mistakes.
There are three categories that you can use to collect compensation for a car accident if you are eligible to do so. Compensation is money awarded to accident victims as restitution for injuries or any money lost due to the accident.
The first one is Economic damages. This category of compensation covers the costs that have a direct and easily identifiable cash value. The purpose of compensation for economic damages is to directly replace the money that was lost or will be lost in the future. Common economic damages can include medical expenses, ongoing medical care, lost income from not being able to go to work, property damage to your vehicle or other property that was in the accident, other expenses such as out of pocket expenses. Any other out-of-pocket expenses that you incurred because your injuries prevented you from regular activities, such as childcare or housekeeping.
The second one is non-Economic damages. This may be the most difficult category to point out. The amount of compensation for these costs are hard to measure since they may be priceless. Non-economic damages generally make up the largest portion of a compensation package. Common non-economic damages may include:
Pain and suffering: Your injuries caused you physical and emotional pain.
Scarring or disfigurement: your injuries caused your appearance to be permanently altered.
Loss of consortium: Your injuries negatively impacted your ability to have an intimate relationship with your spouse.
The last category is Punitive damages. Unlike the other two options, punitive damages are not meant as compensation for the victim for any loss they have suffered. These damages are designed to punish the responsible party. Punitive damages are awarded when the actions of the accused party are deemed to have been particularly deliberate or flagrant.
In most cases, YES. Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. That means that you will not pay any fees unless your lawyer wins your case, and you get compensated. This payment structure means that anyone can get experienced legal representation at zero risk in a personal injury claim.
This pay structure also ensures that your attorney will do everything they can to make sure you receive a settlement. The larger the settlement, the larger the payment your attorney receives as well. So, it is in their best interest to get you the absolute largest payout from your incident.