By L. White
View Original Article

Personal injury claims can be complicated. The following are 10 important facts about personal injury claims.

Personal injury cases can be trying.  Not only are you dealing with a medical issue but you and your family are trying to navigate how this will change your life.

1) More Than Just Car Accidents

While car accidents are one of the most common drivers of personal injury claims, other drivers include negligence, product defect, dog attacks, work-related injuries, and wrongful death to name a few.  As you can see this is a broad category.

2) Don’t Accept the Insurance Company’s First Offer

Insurance companies are in business to make money.   One of the ways that the do this is to limit their ‘claim loss’ as much as possible.  In doing so, insurers will often try to limit the payout for medical expenses and other damages.  While accepting the first offer may seem more expedient, doing so means that you are not getting the full payout you are due.

3) Find an Experienced Lawyer

According to Robert J. Bartis, a personal injury attorney, ‘accident victims are advised to secure legal representation while the details are still fresh and witness statements still helpful. Another reason to seek an experienced personal injury attorney is because insurance companies will often try to get car accident victims to settle quickly, and for less than they may need to recover.’

4)  Get Your Fair Share

Compensation is important as it will help to cover the cost of medical and other related expenses – such as funeral costs.  In some cases, compensation will offset lost wages.  As such, you want to make sure you get your fair share.

5) A Good Attorney Needs a Good Team

Even if you have a good attorney, they are only human.  As such, make sure you attorney has a good team to assist with your case.  Depending on the amount of work involved it will be the associates and the paralegals who are the most important members of the legal team.

6) Every Case is Unique

Another reason for having a good attorney with a good team is that every personal injury case is unique.  Let’s face it, this is your life and you want to be treated like a person and not a number.

7) Patience is a Virtue

Some personal injury claims take longer to settle than others.  One reason for this is the varying nature of each claim and the medical procedures involved.  There are even instances when it is in your best interest to delay settlement as this means you can make sure that all related medical procedures are covered by the settlement.  Remember patience is a virtue and doubly true when it comes to personal injury claims.

8) You May Not Need a Trial

But you might need one.  In the end, the determination of whether to go to trial or not will depend on the specifics of your case.  Maybe the insurance company is willing to settle or maybe your claim is related to an instance of wrongful death or negligence.  However, nearly 95 percent of all claims are settled out of court, so you may not need a trial.

9) Evidence Matters

Just like a crime show on TV, evidence matters and it is important that you gather everything relating to your claim in a timely basis.  In addition, you want to make sure you share this information with your attorney.  Sometimes the most insignificant details can make or break a case.

10) Know How Your Lawyer Will be Paid

One of the questions you want to ask your lawyer is how they will be paid.  Some require retains and then charge an hourly fee, while others will work on contingency.  While both approaches have their pros and cons, you want to make sure you understand how it will work in your case.  Even though payment is a difficult subject to broach with your attorney, make sure you have a clear agreement will ensure there are no misunderstandings later.