After an injury occurs, many insurance companies attempt to “control” the claimant by persuading them that they do not need a personal injury lawyer. The reason is that as long as a claimant is not represented, the company can settle for much less than they can when the claimant has obtained an attorney.
How Insurance Companies Deal with Accidents
As soon as an accident involving injuries occurs, insurance companies set a “reserve” of the amount of money they expect to pay to settle the claim. When the claimant gets an attorney to represent them, the amount set aside as reserve is increased substantially, since the company knows from experience that it will cost more to settle.
Why you should Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
A personal injury lawyer can help a victim get the maximum amount they deserve after an accident. Personal injury lawyers specialize in all types of accidents such as birth injury, wrongful death, brain injuries, premises liability, motor vehicle accidents, toxic exposure and medical malpractice. A personal injury lawyer is trained to analyze the liability (fault), aspects of the case, and to make an intelligent judgment regarding the value of the case, based on existing liability, appearance and credibility of witnesses, photographs and diagrams, the injuries sustained, the duration of the injury, scarring (if any), hospital and medical expenses, prescriptions, physical and/or psychological therapy, and time lost from work, as well as other factors. The true value of your case can only be determined by experts who work in this field.
Since personal injury lawyers are paid only if there is a recovery, and their fee is based on a percentage, the lawyer has a strong incentive to work hard on your behalf. As the case proceeds, you should make arrangements to check with your lawyer periodically to keep track of its progress. Just because you do not hear from them does not mean they are not working hard on your case.
Beware of Personal Injury Settlements
It is important to beware of quick personal injury settlements. They often end up being far less than the case is worth. Many injuries occur which become worse with the passage of time. A back or neck injury, for example, can become much worse than it originally was, due to defense mechanisms of the body, (muscular), which try to “guard” against further injury and can actually pull the spine out of line.
The unforeseen future consequences of an injury are sometimes not even known to the treating physician. A serious electrical burn suffered by an electrical line lineman will often lead to development of cataracts. The shortening of one leg by 3/4 of an inch will lead over time to a tilted pelvis, and inevitable back trouble for the rest of the victim’s life and they might require ongoing surgery for treatment.
Personal Injury Lawyer
If you’ve been involved in an accident, it is important to consult with an experience personal injury lawyer before speaking with any insurance company.
