You should hire a personal injury attorney if you get hurt in an accident. Someone else might be at fault and financially responsible for your medical bills and other expenses. Although seeking legal representation isn’t required, an experienced attorney can advise you of your rights and represent you during your personal injury case.
Below are circumstances when you should seriously consider hiring a personal injury lawyer after an accident.
Fault Is Disputed
You must prove someone else is at fault for the accident to recover compensation. The negligent party might deny any wrongdoing. If that happens, you need substantial evidence to show how the incident occurred and caused the injury you sustained.
An attorney knows how to investigate accidents to determine liability. They can locate crucial evidence, such as eyewitness statements and accident scene photos, to show another party is responsible for what happened.
You Are Partially Responsible
If you’re partly at fault for the incident, a judge or jury can reduce your compensation based on the percentage of fault they assign you. Modified comparative negligence allows the judge or jury to diminish a plaintiff’s financial award proportionately to their percentage of liability. That means if you incur $100,000 in accident-related losses and are 20 percent at fault for your injury, the most compensation you can recover is $80,000.
The insurance company might determine you contributed to the incident so they can reduce the value of your claim. You might not receive the money you’re entitled to if the insurer unfairly blames you for the incident.
When you hire an experienced personal injury lawyer, recovering full and fair compensation is more likely. They can review the facts to decide whether your actions contributed to the accident and seek the amount of money you deserve.
Multiple Parties Are Involved
Establishing liability is challenging when an accident involves multiple parties. For example, if you get hurt in a car crash that involves three vehicles and three drivers, determining who you can hold accountable for your injury isn’t as simple as it would be in an accident with only one other motorist.
Experienced personal injury lawyers know how to deal with complex cases with more than one potentially liable party. They can thoroughly investigate each person’s conduct to determine whether more than one person shares fault. You might recover higher compensation if multiple parties are liable for your injury.
Your Injury Is Permanent or Disabling
You’ll likely require ongoing care if you sustain a permanent injury in an accident. That means the value of your claim must exceed your current expenses to compensate for treatment you’ll need after settling your insurance claim. When you don’t account for the long-term consequences of a disabling condition, the compensation you receive won’t cover follow-up appointments, household assistance, and other necessary costs.
A personal injury lawyer knows how to calculate an appropriate amount of money to compensate for past and future losses. They can collect evidence, such as doctor’s notes and diagnostic test results, to show the insurance company the severity of your injury and the likelihood of it continuing to affect your physical or mental abilities.
Insurance Carrier Acts in Bad Faith
The at-fault party’s insurance company isn’t on your side. The adjuster wants to avoid a significant payout to save the company money. That means they might call you to discuss the claim and try to get you to say something they can use against you. They will also look for evidence to disprove their policyholder’s liability and offer a low settlement or deny the claim.
Sometimes, insurance carriers act in bad faith. That means they unreasonably delay the claims process or refuse to pay a valid claim without a reasonable basis. Common examples of bad faith include:
- Failing to promptly respond to the filed claim
- Refusing to pay a settlement without conducting an investigation
- Misrepresenting insurance policy information
- Falsely accusing the accident victim of sharing fault for the incident
Your lawyer can file a lawsuit if the insurer acts in bad faith. The compensation you receive might cover the initial losses from the accident, additional costs, such as attorneys’ fees, and punitive damages.
Contact a Dedicated Personal Injury Lawyer
The at-fault party’s insurance company or defense attorney will do everything possible to avoid liability for the accident. They don’t want to pay you for your lost wages, medical expenses, and other costs. Pursuing a personal injury case alone isn’t a good idea. You should hire an attorney to help you immediately after the accident.
If you were injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, call the Champaign personal injury attorneys of Spiros Law, P.C. at (815) 929-9292 for a free consultation. We have fought for injured clients since 2005 and are ready to do the same for you.
