If you are up watching TV late at night, you might see a commercial for a local personal injury lawyer. Maybe you like the ad. It’s pretty entertaining. However, you hope that you’d never need such an individual’s services.
Several situations require a personal injury lawyer’s intervention, though, and you might get in one the very next day. For instance, a car might plow into you seemingly out of nowhere. You might slip while in a store and fall down, breaking your leg. Perhaps you’ll purchase a product that ends up harming you.
You can probably think of many other instances pretty easily where you will need a personal injury lawyer. Such attorneys often have no shortage of clients. That’s because personal injury cases make their way through the court system on a daily basis.
You might not know what a personal injury lawyer can do for their clients if you ever need to hire one. We will discuss that right now.
They Can Hear Your Side of the Story
Let’s say that you’re in a situation where you feel strongly that a person or entity harmed you. Whether that’s a dog bite scenario, a malpractice case involving a doctor, or something else, you sustained an injury or something made you sick, and you think that you can justly blame someone else.
You must decide whether or not you want to sue. Most people don’t like to bring lawsuits against anyone. If you’re at home missing work and you have medical bills piling up, though, then you may decide that you have little choice in the matter.
If you select a personal injury lawyer who seems to have a solid industry reputation, then you can go and meet with them. You can explain what happened. You should omit no detail, nor should you embellish anything.
They will listen to you. This action alone can help you. Having someone who can hear your tale of woe might prove cathartic. However, you will feel ever better if they agree that you have a case and they say that they will represent you.
They Can Instruct Their Investigators to Gather Evidence
Once you hire the lawyer, they can tell their investigator to look into your story. Just about any personal injury attorney will have an investigator, if not more than one. If you hire a larger and more prestigious firm, then they might have several investigators standing by who can instantly go to work on your behalf.
They can try to find any eyewitnesses who saw the accident or incident that injured you. They can also try to locate any photos or videos of the occurrence.
They might come up with smartphone footage, traffic camera footage, or security camera footage. An investigator might also ask you for any paperwork that can back up your story. That might include medical papers that your doctor filled out following the accident that detailed your injuries or illness.
The more evidence the investigators can find, the better. You and your lawyer can use that to pressure the defendant.
They Can File the Necessary Paperwork
Your lawyer can also file the necessary paperwork that lets the defendant know that you are suing them. You probably do not know how to do that on your own. Your attorney has likely done it many times, though, especially if they have years of prior experience.
You must give the defendant time to hire their own lawyer and to start preparing their defense. They may also offer you a settlement if they don’t want to go to trial. It all starts with the paperwork your lawyer files with the court.
They Can Help You Communicate with an Insurance Company
Your personal injury attorney can help you if you need to communicate with an insurance company as part of this whole process. Maybe you’re suing the insurance company of a driver who hit you. Perhaps the other driver admitted they feel they caused the crash, but their insurance company insists that you caused it.
If you’re in an at-fault state, that means you and your lawyer must go after the other driver’s insurance company if you hope to collect any financial compensation. You might have to talk to an insurance company representative on the phone or speak to them in person.
Your lawyer can rehearse what you will say before this meeting or phone conversation. This way, you won’t say anything that might hurt your case.
The other driver’s insurance company might try to get you to say something that indicates you think you caused the accident, even if that is not actually true. They may record the conversation and play it back at trial. If your lawyer prepares you, though, then you won’t say anything that might accidentally wreck your chance of collecting any money in damages.
They Can Prop You Up When You Are Feeling Low
Your lawyer can do something else for you, and it’s somewhat underrated. They can back you up emotionally and support you if you feel like you’re never going to come to an end of this civil action.
Some plaintiffs don’t realize when they sue a person or company how long the process takes. The defendant or their legal team might try to stall for time. They may do so precisely because they feel that it will frustrate you.
If you feel enough frustration, then you might accept a lowball settlement offer. Your lawyer can talk you out of taking it if they feel that you can get a lot more.
Your family and friends should support you during this time as well, but having a professional on your side who knows the law might benefit you even more during this dark period. If your lawyer tells you to just hold on and to have a little patience, then maybe you will follow their advice. They may help you to get a much larger settlement.
