What are Common Misconceptions or Misunderstandings That People Have About Working With a Personal Injury Attorney?
There are a few things to note. A lot of people think no matter what when you go to an attorney, you are going to have to pay out-of-pocket for attorney’s fees. That is something that a lot of personal injury victims ask their lawyer, whether they owe anything out-of-pocket. The answer is that you don’t: personal injury cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, where the attorney only gets paid if there is a recovery through a settlement, verdict or judgement.
Another misconception is that personal injury attorneys are slimy, ambulance chasers out there wishing injuries upon people. However, that’s not really the case at all. Personal injury attorneys actually step into the shoes of the injured party so that they don’t get taken advantage of by the insurance industry. Having an attorney speak and act on your behalf in personal injury cases is of the utmost importance. When an individual is injured due to the negligence of another, it is hard enough trying to take care of themselves and obtain the appropriate medical treatment. We want the client to take care of themselves. We will take care of the rest. We will deal with the insurance company. We will collect evidence. We will protect your rights.
Do People Fully Understand the Personal Injury Recovery Process?
The short answer is no. People don’t have an understanding nor should they if they haven’t been through the process before. For instance, in a rear-end car accident, a lot of people say there’s nothing to dispute and nothing to talk about so this case should settle quickly. In most instances, however, there is always something to dispute, whether it’s on the liability side or on the damages side that insurance companies will try to argue. In terms of the actual recovery of the settlement, there are a number of things that need to be dealt with, including insurance claims or worker’s compensation liens, which may need to be reimbursed. Therefore, the recovery process itself can be complex and requires an attorney to navigate. In short, the personal injury process can be complex. It is important to hire counsel to navigate the red tape.
What are the Steps That Someone Should Take if They Have Been Injured and are Planning to File a Personal Injury Claim?
The first and most important thing is to make sure that they get the appropriate care and get to the hospital or the doctor as soon as they can. Then depending on the type of accident, they need to either document the accident through a police report or take photos or get any information or witnesses. The third thing you want to do is once you’ve taken care of yourself and made sure that you have documented the accident, you need to contact an attorney.
Personal injury cases are not cases that you want to handle on your own without counsel. A lot of times, insurance companies will try to contact personal injury victims directly to see if they can save money and offer lowball amounts to close the case before it even really gets started. Do not let this happen.
If you Need Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About Personal Injury Cases, call our New York Personal Injury Lawyer at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC, Attorneys at Law for a FREE Initial Consultation at (855) 228-7369 and get the information and legal answers you’re seeking.
