Why Hire a Personal Injury Attorney After an Accident?

If you are involved in an accident where you sustain personal injury and the accident is the fault of another person, you may be eligible to receive monetary damages from that person. If the person’s insurance company agrees to pay for the cost of your injuries and accept responsibility for taking care of all of your property (such as your car), you may find it unnecessary to hire a personal injury attorney.

However, if either the individual(s) responsible for the accident is uncooperative or you find that the liable insurance company is refusing to pay a fair amount, it may be a better idea to hire a personal injury lawyer experienced in leveling the playing field and getting you your fair settlement.

Becoming a lawyer entails learning a different way of thinking. Almost like a chess player who learns how to think two moves ahead, personal injury lawyers with considerable experience know how to anticipate the moves of insurance companies, placing your interests at an advantage. The leverage the insurance companies have by dealing directly with you can be negated with an experienced attorney.

Experienced personal injury attorneys typically know what your case is worth by being able to weigh all of the direct and indirect injuries. Knowing these factors can maximize your settlement and make sure money is not left on the table. Most personal injury attorneys work on the basis of a contingency fee, which means that they have a stake in the outcome. If the case is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay a dime.

Have you heard of stories where insurance companies utilize delay tactics or place pressure on individuals to settle their cases? Do not be swayed by these techniques. Your case may be more complex than you realize.

For instance, the insurance company at fault may offer to pay for your vehicle’s damages completely and then reimburse dollar for dollar medical expenses? Isn’t that sufficient? The answer is no, it’s not.

Once your car is fixed completely, it will not be worth what it was before the accident. This is termed diminished value and should be negotiated into a settlement. When you eventually go to sell your vehicle, the damage history will become evident and will factor into the auto’s value. Having received money from the diminished value calculation will help ease the pain of that calculation.
People should do what they do best, and not become attorneys when it comes to their own personal injury cases after a car accident. Only in simple circumstances should you deal with the opposing insurance company by yourself.

When to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

There are various reasons to hire an attorney:
Accidents can be prevented, but once in a while an accident will occur. In the event that you or your loved one is harmed in an accident as a result of the fault of someone else, it is only fair that person or their insurance company should compensate you. Most people will not take responsibility for their wrongs and insurance companies would rather not sufficiently pay for claims. Insurance companies have attorneys who have a rich knowledge of the law and will ruthlessly exploit unknowing laymen to cheat them out of any compensation that they may deserve.

Having an experienced personal injury lawyer is invaluable. Such a lawyer is able to negotiate your case with the insurance company. If, for any reason, they don’t come to an out-of-court settlement, the personal injury attorney has the skills to be able to take the case to trial. While you may try to negotiate with the insurance company directly, the insurance company will do whatever they can to pay the least possible amount. In the event that you don’t agree with them, they will manipulate you into making statements that will favor them should the case go to trial. An attorney will be in a position to push for the best possible settlement for you.

What is the cost of a personal injury lawyer?
He will charge his fee once the compensation is awarded. The amount you will be left with will be much more than you could have obtained without the use of this professional. Most of them charge a contingency fee, meaning they take a percentage of the awarded amount and you will then not have to pay for the service from your pocket. Some of the damages awarded will pay for you. That is not to mean that you will not experience any costs though. Should the case not go to trial, it is possible that you will not have to pay any additional amounts. But in the event that it does, you may have to pay for expenses associated with filing a case.

The percentage of the amount awarded that the lawyer takes is normally about 33.3% of the total award, or a third of the total amount. This, however, varies from state to state. For cases involving workers, there is a ceiling on the amount that he can charge. For personal injuries, the client and the lawyer will have to come to an agreement. Typically, the best personal injury attorneys will not negotiate their fee. It is more often than not higher than average. This is because they are able to negotiate for high settlements and even after they deduct their fee, the client is left with a significantly higher amount than they would have had another lawyer taken the case.

Where do you find a personal accident lawyer?
There is no perfect formula for finding a professional in this field. The common ways are to check the yellow pages or do an online search. The most reliable method would be to ask for a referral from another lawyer that you trust. A referral can cost you a referral fee, which might be significant. There are organizations such as the American Association for Justice that offer referral services.

Are there specialized personal injury attorneys?
Just like medical doctors, there are specialized attorneys. Some handle certain types of injury cases, for example burns. Others will specialize in particular causes of action, for example car accidents.
Find out the lenght of time the practice has been in business, this gives you a clue of how successful they have been as attorneys.

Do I have to hire any injury attorney I meet?
Some will charge a fee for the initial consultation, even if they don’t get hired. You retain the right to hire. 

Personal Injury Lawyers Work On Your Behalf

Personal injury lawyers work for the victims of accidents, malpractice, and abuse – going up against teams of lawyers for insurance companies and others on the opposing side. “P.I. attorneys” can handle lawsuits on behalf of adults, or children. They also represent the survivors of victims who died, in an area of personal injury law known as wrongful death.
People who have been hurt in accidents or because they received substandard medical care may have suffered permanent harm, but they have recourse to avoid suffering permanent financial damage as well. The law allows them to seek fair and reasonable compensation from whoever is responsible or acted negligently. It can be an individual, or it can be a business or organization, such as a hospital or a trucking company, or the manufacturer of a defective product. If negligence can be proven, they can be held monetarily responsible. The victim may be entitled to money damages in order to pay medical bills, for lost wages, to compensate for pain and suffering, and for permanent disability. In the case of a wrongful death, the survivors have a list of compensations they have the right to seek.
Personal injuries occur in vehicle accidents, such as car wrecks; large commercial (18 wheeler) truck accidents; motorcycle crashes; train and plane incidents; boating collisions and more. People can also be hurt due to negligence when they are pedestrians, and those events can involve vehicles or what are called slip-and-fall accidents. There can be medical malpractice, defective drugs, or faulty medical devices. In nursing homes and long term care facilities, there may be injury due to abuse and negligence. Defective products ranging from medical devices to home electronics have caused injury and in vehicle accidents there may have been a defect at fault. People are hurt at work.
Most of the time, personal injury lawyers must file a claim within a set period of time after the injury took place. This is why lawyers advise people to seek advice as soon as possible. In addition, in most people the memories of what happened are fresher and this can benefit the attorney as he builds his case.

What to look for in a Personal Injury Law Firm

When looking for a personal injury lawyer in New York this can seem very difficult, sorting through all the clutter and hooplah.  After all, there are many choices.  Choosing an attorney who is aware of the client's needs and who has the experience and knowledge to get results.

Experience: Personal injury is a broad area of law and different types of injury claims require different skills and resources to pursue effectively. When considering a New York personal injury attorney, an injury victim should be sure to choose a firm that has experience in representing victims with his or her specific type of injury. From slip-and-fall accidents, to medical malpractice victims, or auto/car accident cases.

Resources: A personal injury claim can be complex and technical. An experienced personal injury attorney may use a variety of experts at their disposal to fully establish the case.  Effective personal injury law firm have identified and established working relationships with the leading experts in the fields that matter in personal injury litigation.

Location: Its about location, location, location. While preparing for a personal injury lawsuit, a plaintiff must repeatedly meet with his or her personal injury attorney. Working with a conveniently located New York law firm can decrease travel time, diminish stress, avoid scheduling difficulties, and decrease expenses.

Responsiveness: An effective lawyer understands, listens to clients, and strives to meet or exceed their expectations. Keeping clients well informed of important developments and helps them make educated decisions regarding their cases.

Cost effectiveness:  A good personal injury law firm knows how to get results while still keeping costs reasonable. This can come from using aggressive negotiation tactics to recover settlements outside of court, employing alternative dispute resolution, using resources efficiently, and many other tactics. Experienced personal injury attorneys know that some clients may depend upon an injury settlement or judgment to stay afloat following a severe injury, making efficiency and cost effectiveness a top priority.

We will never forget!

We remember those souls lost 11 years ago, on Sept 11, 2001. You will never be forgotten our prayers and hearts are with you, your, families and friends.