Why Is a Personal Injury Lawyer Important?

You’re driving home or walking on an icy sidewalk when suddenly, the worst happens — you have an accident. While your initial focus is rightly on feeling better from your injuries, at some point you may consider obtaining legal action to seek compensation for the injuries you’ve suffered.

Many routes to compensation are available, and it may seem easy to obtain through direct discussions with the parties that caused the accident or their insurance companies. Given that you can do it yourself, you might wonder why a personal injury lawyer is important or necessary.

They are essential in ways that are not always easy to see, whether it’s by quickly absorbing the pressure to reach an out-of-court settlement, meeting litigation deadlines, properly researching legal precedent, or accurately sizing your claim. Here’s what you need to know about why personal injury lawyers are important and how they can help you get what you deserve.

What Is a Personal Injury Lawyer?

A personal injury lawyer is a civil rather than a criminal attorney who focuses on helping clients recover financial compensation for injuries caused by accidents. But not every accident qualifies. Only accidents involving injuries caused by reckless or negligent behavior can lead to a personal injury claim or lawsuit.

Personal injury lawyers, such as those at De Castroverde Law Group, have extensive experience proving recklessness, negligence, and other elements required to obtain compensation in a personal injury lawsuit. They are also typically skilled at negotiating on behalf of their clients to resolve matters without resorting to litigation or a trial.

According to the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University, recklessness is “behavior that is so careless that it is considered an extreme departure from the care a reasonable person would exercise in similar circumstances.” The definition of negligence is “a failure to behave with the level of care that someone of ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same circumstances.”

Why Would You Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

You have plenty to think about and take care of following a severe accident. Most importantly, you should focus on recovering from your injuries. Spending time tracking your medical expenses and fighting with insurance companies is likely among the least important priorities. To lessen the burdens of the aftermath of a serious accident, here are some of the tasks an experienced personal injury attorney can assume on your behalf:

• Representing your interests with insurance companies. Insurance providers may try to get you to settle your claim quickly after an accident, as that’s when you’re most vulnerable. Still, attorneys can eliminate that pressure by negotiating on your behalf.
• Evaluating the facts, the initial evidence, and the law to determine whether you have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.
• Helping you determine a proper amount for your claim or lawsuit based on their understanding of precedents in your local and state courts.
• Filing a lawsuit, then keeping track of deadlines to ensure the correct documents get filed on time and the case does not risk violating the statute of limitations.

If a lawsuit is necessary, a personal injury attorney will oversee the entire litigation process, from beginning to end, including organizing depositions and responding to motions by the other party or parties.

A personal injury attorney is an important advocate in ensuring you recover the compensation you deserve so you can resume your everyday life as soon as possible after the accident.

Types of Personal Injury Cases

Most people associate personal injury cases with vehicle accidents, primarily because they frequently happen. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, police responded to nearly 12 million accidents in the United States in 2019 and 2020. But roadway accidents are only one source of cases that experienced personal injury attorneys can handle. Here are some of the most common incidents leading to personal injury lawsuits:

Slips and Falls

Owners of homes and businesses are legally obligated to protect their properties from apparent dangers. But accidents can happen even with the best intentions. If you believe you have been injured in a slip and fall accident due to negligence or recklessness on the property owner’s part, you may have grounds for a personal injury case.

Medical Malpractice

Going to the doctor to receive medical care involves a level of risk, and sometimes treatments can go wrong, resulting in serious complications. If you have received medical care that falls below accepted standards, you may be able to seek compensation through a personal injury medical malpractice case.

Defamation

The First Amendment protects our freedom of speech, but freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Deliberately telling falsehoods about someone else can severely damage their reputation and result in a personal injury claim for defamation.

Dog Bites

Dogs are Americans’ favorite pets. Owning a dog, however, comes with certain legal obligations. If you have been bitten by a dog and feel the owners were negligent or reckless in keeping their pet under control, you could seek compensation through a personal injury lawsuit.

Criminal Offenses

Perpetrators of crimes such as assault, battery, rape, or other acts of violence face punishment from criminal prosecution. But they can also be held financially accountable for their actions in a civil court of law through a personal injury lawsuit. Lawyers play an essential role in helping you determine whether you have grounds for a personal injury claim or lawsuit. They will gather facts and evidence, research the law, and choose the best strategy for obtaining just compensation.

Trust the Personal Injury Attorneys at De Castroverde Law Group

Contact the experienced personal injury team at De Castroverde Law Group today for a consultation on your personal injury case. Our team of attorneys has broad experience in seeking compensation for clients following various situations, including vehicle collisions, slip, and fall accidents, medical malpractice, defamation, and more. We fight hard for your rights and go out of our way to deliver responsive client service, including giving you one-on-one attention. Let us help you through your difficult time. Call us or contact us online.

Photo Credit: Supreme Court by Scott is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0