7 Ways A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You With An Auto Accident Case
Getting involved in an auto accident is unfortunate, more so if you get injured. While minor injuries can incapacitate you for some time, major ones can bring immense pain and suffering and sometimes even cause lasting disability. To make things worse, serious injuries may result in temporary or permanent loss of employment and subsequent financial crisis. Considering the trauma and financial problems that accidents may cause, a specialized law has been implemented to help the victims who are injured because of someone else’s negligence.
Known as personal injury law, it is meant to provide the rightful compensation claims to people involved in accidents caused due to someone else’s negligence. The accidents may range from automobile mishaps to slips and falls, medical negligence, workplace injuries, and even recreational accidents. Auto accidents are one of the most common forms of accidents that entitle the victim to compensation claims. However, getting an optimal amount of compensation within a short time span can be challenging. This is where a personal injury lawyer can help. Here are some ways in which a professional can help with your auto injury case.
Gather evidence for proving negligence
Proving negligence is the key to getting a personal injury claim, which is the reason that you must have all the evidence that you can get. With a legal professional handling your case, you will have better guidance and understanding about the documentation you need to gather. Typically, evidence in such cases includes police reports, medical bills, testimonies of eyewitnesses, camera footage of the accident site and more. The evidence can provide solid proof about someone else responsible for the accident, which makes all the difference to the chances of success.
Assess the damages and calculate the claim value
Victims lack knowledge when it comes to estimating the claim value accurately. They are generally concerned about the present implications of the accident and cannot think about the financial hardships they may have to face in the future. Accurate assessment of compensation claim is the key to getting all that you deserve for your pain and suffering and financial losses due to the accident, which is something that only a seasoned professional can help you with. Further, they can also help you add up the loss caused due to emotional and psychological stress caused due to the accident.
Handle the insurance company
Another plus point of having an experienced legal professional to represent your case is that the insurance company will not be able to take you for a ride. People who file their claim without legal assistance are approached directly by the company and usually made to give statements that eventually do not work in their favor. At the end of the day, they may have to settle for a much lower compensation or may even lose it. However, with a personal injury lawyer to deal with the insurance company, you can rest assured that you have the proper guidance to make statements that only strengthen your case.
Explain your rights under the personal injury law
Since personal injury law is complicated, you need to know it well enough to get your claim. When involved in an auto accident, you need to understand the norms and clauses specific to this particular kind of accident. For example, vehicle-related accidents cover not only automobiles but several other types of vehicles as well. According to Dairn Shane from Preszler Law, the Ontario Highway Traffic Act views bicycles as vehicles, beholden to the same laws of the road including turn signals and other rules of the road. Knowing the law well enough matters and the guidance of a specialist can be of great value in this context.
Negotiate a settlement for you
It is common for auto accident cases to get settled out of court. This is ideally preferred because there are far fewer complications as compared to a court trial and the victim gets an optimal compensation within a shorter time span. A personal injury lawyer can negotiate a settlement with the insurance company on your behalf and get you claim that you rightfully deserve. Since the insurance company will probably have a team of solicitors handling negotiations, you will be better off with an expert on your side.
Take the case to trial in the court
When the claim does not get resolved out of court, a trial remains the only option. Of course, you must absolutely take it to the court because the compensation can be a major financial support for you and your family. At the same time, it is critical to have an expert handle the court trial to win the verdict in your favor. This is something that makes it important to hire a personal injury lawyer with the right experience and successful track record of handling court trials for auto accident claims.
Connect with medical providers
Another way in which a personal injury lawyer can assist you is by connecting you with a medical provider who can provide you medical aid as well as the required documentation. Generally, these lawyers are associated with practitioners who agree to provide services on a lien basis so that you pay once you get compensated for your injuries. This can be a great help for victims who lose employment and suffer from financial crisis after the accident. With this arrangement, they can get immediate treatment for their injuries without having to worry about their finances.
Now that you understand the significance of hiring a legal professional for handling an auto accident claim, you must find someone who has the right kind of skill and experience. Another factor to ensure is to have someone who charges on a contingency basis. This means that you will have to pay their fees only when you get the claim. Obviously, this matters a lot for victims who are already in a financial fix due to the injuries and loss of employment. Also, the lawyer will be motivated to secure a high compensation value because the contingency fee is calculated as a percentage of claim value.