6 Signs You Need Lawyers for Personal Injury

Every year, there are over 3 million injuries as a result of accidents in the US. Car accidents, medical malpractice, workplace accidents, and defective products are common causes of these accidental injuries. 

What these accidents have in common is that they were caused by the actions of another person (either negligence or wrongful actions). If you have experienced a personal injury that you believe was due to someone else’s actions, you may want to consider hiring an attorney to file a personal injury claim. 

Read on to learn more about when you need a lawyer for a personal injury. 

1. Your Injuries Are Severe

Some personal injuries are so severe that they require multiple surgeries, extensive hospitalizations, and long-term care. If this is the case, you need to speak to an attorney to hold the person or parties responsible for your injuries accountable. 

Many insurance companies will deny your claim, offer you a lowball settlement amount, or try to argue that the accident was actually your fault. If you have severe injuries, you need to focus on your recovery, not fighting an insurance company. Your attorney can handle this negotiation for you. 

2. You Have Long-Term or Permanent Disability 

If you are going to be out of work for the foreseeable future or forever due to your injuries, you are going to lose a significant portion of your income. Your attorney will help put a value on your lost wages and loss of future wages to seek a fair settlement that replaces this lost income. 

3. When Liability Is In Question 

In some cases, liability is clear. In others, though, it is not clear who is liable or whether multiple parties are liable. If there are multiple liable parties, they should all be held accountable. 

A personal injury lawyer will be able to use their resources, such as investigators and experts, to identify who is liable, how much liability they have, and negotiate with them. Without these resources, proving liability can be difficult. 

Most liable parties will try to deny liability and blame someone else, so your attorney will need to build a strong case to show that the various parties are liable. 

4. When the Insurance Company Will Not Offer a Fair Settlement

The role of the insurance adjuster is to protect the insurance company’s bottom line. They want you to settle quickly and to settle for the least amount of money possible. 

A representative from the liable party’s insurance company will likely offer you a settlement shortly after the accident, but the offer is often much less than what your case is actually worth. If you accept this offer, you can’t change your mind later. 

It’s important not to settle too quickly as you may underestimate the cost of the medical care you will need and accept a settlement that is much less than what your medical care will actually cost. 

Most experts agree that you should not settle until you have reached something called “maximum medical improvement“. This means that you have reached the end of your current treatment for your injuries and can better estimate your future medical expenses. Your doctor can help you determine when this occurs and what future care you may need. 

Your attorney will also be able to advise you on when to settle and when to continue to negotiate. 

5. You Can’t Afford the Medical Expenses

Even if you have health insurance, your insurance company may want you to seek damages from the responsible party if you were injured as the result of an accident. Many insurance companies will require you to fill out documentation describing how certain injuries occur and can deny your claims if someone else was responsible. 

If your insurance company denies your claim or if you don’t have health insurance, you may be facing hefty charges for your medical care. In addition, if you have a long road to recovery, your medical expenses will continue to accrue. If you are facing growing medical bills and do not have the money to pay them, you need an attorney. 

A personal injury lawyer will help value your claim and negotiate with the insurance company to get you a fair settlement. They also may be able to connect you to a doctor that will provide medical care without any cost to you upfront. You will pay the doctor once you receive a settlement. 

6. The Injury Was Caused By a Defective Product 

Defective product lawsuits are extremely complex and determining who is liable is tricky. The manufacturer may be liable for manufacturing a defective product or the company may be liable for designing a defective product.

If you’re taking on a big company, such as a car company, they are going to have nearly unlimited legal resources to defend them, so you need to make sure you have an experienced attorney to represent you as well. 

Contact Lawyers For Your Personal Injury Claim Today 

If you or a loved one has suffered from an injury that was not your fault, you should consider speaking with a personal injury attorney to discuss your case. Hiring lawyers for your personal injury if you have serious injuries, can’t work, are facing long-term or even permanent disability, and the insurance company does not want to fairly compensate you, you need an attorney to help you get what you deserve. 

Contact the attorneys at Sweet Law today. They specialize in personal injury cases and can provide a free case evaluation.