If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you need to hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you. You’re likely entitled to file a personal injury claim and get your medical expenses covered. However, this can be a complicated process that requires car accident attorneys if you’re going to get it done well. If you try to do it alone, you may end up waiting a long time. You might even never get the money from your insurance company. Meanwhile, a lawyer can negotiate with them and get you covered for accident body injury bills while you recover.
To find the right lawyer, you’ll need to go to an accident and injury group. Others may not understand the finer details of personal injury law. This could lead to poor results. Look for a lawyer who will take their fee from your compensation. That way, you don’t risk losing money. You’ll pay out of the money you receive at the end. This money is important for covering medical and living expenses, so you want to find the right lawyer to help you get it.
To start searching, look online and ask friends and family for recommendations. Reviews can be a great way to find a lawyer you can trust.
Attorneys who specialize in personal injury claim cases are often looked down on and called names such as “ambulance chaser.” While there are unscrupulous attorneys who file dubious cases involving injury and disability claims, most personal injury claim cases are legitimate.
Though car accidents are the most common cause of personal injury claim lawsuits, they are not as common a cause as many people might think. Car accident injuries account for about 20% of all personal injury cases at the federal level, followed by product liability suits at 13and and medical malpractice at 10%. Such causes also can overlap. For example, a car accident injury could also be the result of a defective product or it could be exacerbated by a doctor’s error.
There are about 3 million workplace illnesses and injuries each year, although of course the majority of those do not result in lawsuits. There also are about 28,000 birth injuries to babies each year.
Another reason personal injury attorneys get a bad rap is that most such lawsuits never go to trial; in fact, 98% get settled outside the courtroom. To some people, that gives the appearance that defendants are settling simply because it’s cheaper than having to pay attorney fees to defend themselves in court, not because they feel they have any actual liability.
The sheer cost of personal injury lawsuits also tends to give personal injury lawyers a bad name. Civil suits cost the U.S. economy about $239 billion each year. That isn’t just the awards to plaintiffs but also attorneys fees and increased insurance costs.
Insurance can help guard against the costs of personal injury claims. People with homeowners or renters insurance get personal liability coverage, which protects against things such as personal injury lawsuits. Umbrella insurance offers additional coverage. On the business side, businesses carry liability insurance, and individual professionals such as lawyers and doctors carry malpractice insurance. Many businesses also carry disability insurance and workmens comp insurance to protect themselves and their employees against the risk of injuries or illnesses that are caused by something that happens at work.
Overall, personal injury claims are mostly legitimate and are a real risk to individuals and businesses.