8/30/2018

What to Do If You Suffer Personal Injury

If you suffer a personal injury or somebody close to you does and dies as a result, you may be able to make a claim for compensation, especially if the personal injury was down to third-party fault or negligence. An incident which leads to personal injury – either physical or mental – such as a car accident can be one of life’s worst experiences. More often than not, accidents lead to serious physical and emotional scarring which does not go away and it remains with the injured party for the rest of their lives.

In such a situation, it is in your best interests, both financial and personal, to hold the person, persons or organization responsible for this injury to account by bringing legal action and making a claim for compensation. There are many firms out there with specialist personal injury lawyers such as Bond & Taylor Injury Lawyers who are ready to take your case forward.

#1: The Role of a Personal Injury Lawyer

A good personal injury lawyer will take over your case in its entirety, giving you the time and space you need to fully recover from your incident. You will only be involved in a case where you must be and, often, claimants – that’s you – don’t have to lift a finger, especially if the crux of the case is relatively straightforward and there is lots of precedent for it.

A personal injury lawyer’s responsibilities include –
  • Negotiating on your behalf with other attorneys, insurance companies, and other parties;
  • Helping you to document and prove any pain and suffering;
  • Bringing their experience and knowledge forward to help decision-making;
  • Determining who really is at fault for your injury;
  • Navigating the complicated judicial process;
  • Contacting and bringing forth expert witnesses;
  • Ensuring any documents and evidence are filed correctly and on time;
  • Advising on appropriate courses of action and helping out with medical bills;
  • Guiding you through the negotiation process and, if necessary, to trial; and
  • Helping you access the highest amount of compensation possible.
When we say that a good personal injury lawyer will be able to handle the entire process, we mean it. It is in the interests of both yourself and any other involved parties, including your lawyer, for the legal professionals to handle as much as possible without involving you. In short, personal injury lawyers spend their time and energy on your case so you don’t have to. It’s their job, after all!

#2: Your Injury Doesn’t Need to Be Serious

You don’t need to have suffered a catastrophic and truly life-changing injury to bring a claim. In fact, even the smallest and most minor accidents can cause enough physical or emotional damage to warrant compensation. The severity of an accident is not always the best indicator of long-term damage. For example, your car may come out of a car accident relatively unscathed, but the trauma you suffered emotionally can quite easily cause PTSD months down the line. You can also suffer from low-level physical injuries such as whiplash or concussion, and these do not always present themselves straight away.

Your first port of call after an incident, however minor, should be a trip to see your doctor, either by going to the emergency room or making an appointment. Not only does this help you get treatment for any injuries you are unaware of, it also protects your injury and strengthens your legal case.

When you bring your case forward, a specialist personal injury lawyer will examine its details and figure out the best way to resolve it to your benefit. In some cases, going to trial is necessary, however, a lawyer will always avoid this where possible and instead negotiate a settlement. Going to trial is time-consuming, stressful and can be expensive. Of course, the burden of the cost will be put on the party which caused the incident, so cost is not something you need to worry about.

Personal injury cases are not exclusive to car accidents, either. A personal injury case is any situation which involves an injured person. Whether it’s an accident that took place on the road, on the job, it happened because of a slip, trip or fall or is the result of a violent assault, you can still have a case for personal injury. As a result of injuries sustained, you could be entitled to not only compensation but the payment of medical bills, recuperation of lost wages and a payment to cover any future loss of earnings.

#3: Focus on Yourself and Loved Ones

When you’ve been involved in an incident, the most important thing you can do is focus on getting better. An accident is not only stressful for you; it is also stressful for your close friends and family, and you should use whatever downtime you have for recovery to focus on them as much as getting better.

When you’re recovering, you have more important things to worry about than how to plan a negotiation or deposition; leave this to the lawyers. One of the first things to do in the event of an incident which causes an injury is to seek medical attention and let the immediate aftermath of the situation calm down, then contact an attorney.

Even if you don’t think you have been seriously hurt, it is still worth contacting one for a free consultation. You never know what you might be missing out on and it holds the person or organization responsible to account. It’s the fair and just thing to do.

Being involved in an accident which causes you mental or physical injury is stressful and, as such, contacting an attorney may not be the first thing on your mind. It is important to get around to this sooner rather than later and contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer or firm of lawyers is the best way you can protect your interests, focus on recovery, and get the compensation you not only deserve but are legally entitled to. 

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