Accidents happen, or so they say! For example, in the United States alone, there are a reported 5 million road traffic accidents per year. If you take into account all other types of accidents the number may shock you! If you have sadly fallen victim to an accident you may think there is nothing more to do, but actually there is. If you see an injury lawyer after an accident you may be pleasantly surprised. Below we explain why!
Types Of Accident
There are a huge amount of accident types that are common across the country. A Sun City personal injury law firm explains that in Arizona alone, there are over 404,000 visits to the emergency room due to injury per year. Some of the most common causes they see are:
1. Auto Accidents
Sadly, there are far too many automobile accidents every year. Most commonly causing relatively minor injuries such as whiplash, cuts, and sprains. Sometimes, however, they can lead to severe and long-lasting injuries.
2. Slips, Trips, and Falls
An extremely common occurrence that can happen in the workplace, on a public street, or even in a hospitality venue. Uneven floors or misplaced items cause many trips, wet floors improperly labeled can cause slips. Most often leading to broken bones and sprains which could cause you long-term pain.
3. Medical Malpractice or Medical Negligence
Like any other profession, sometimes doctors can make mistakes. In some cases, a doctor’s mishap could cause you injury or lasting illness. In other cases, a deliberately negligent doctor or healthcare professional could harm you.
What Is An Injury Lawyer?
A personal injury lawyer is a legal professional who specializes in cases regarding the types of injury above, alongside many other types of injury. They are complete experts in everything from workplace injury to car accidents. These types of lawyers can deal with any injury case from start to finish as well as advise you on best practices and plans moving forward with your case.
When Should You See One?
If you have been injured in an accident, especially if you believe it wasn’t your fault, you should see a lawyer. Firstly, though, make sure you have seen a medical professional and are getting the right treatment! Look after yourself and ensure you are safe and well. Once you are safe to do so, get in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible.
What An Injury Lawyer Can Do For You
First Meeting
In the first instance, you will go for a private and confidential meeting with an attorney. They will ask you to explain what happened and talk you through the process and how they work. The best part of this is that it usually won’t cost you a penny. Injury lawyers usually work on a no-win, no-fee basis. This means that they will recoup any salary from your eventual compensation, and not charge you anything upfront.
Gathering Evidence
You should keep any evidence pertinent to your case such as photos, videos, and written statements. Your personal injury lawyer can then use this to start to build a case. They will then likely go further, gathering extra evidence, statements, and medical details about your accident and injury.
Starting A Claim
Following on from this your lawyer will do all the hard work when it comes to making a claim. The law is very complicated but they are experts in understanding it. This means they can reach out to whoever caused your accident and press charges against them, knowing that they have a strong case. This would be very hard to do without the professional expertise of an attorney of this specialty.
Compensation
The final and most rewarding stage is compensation! The overall endgame of a lawyer is to get you as much compensation as possible for any medical bills, time off work, or punitive damages. This could come in the form of a settlement from whoever caused your accident which would be settled out of court and advised as a good choice by your lawyer. If they do not receive an adequate offer for a settlement, they will escalate the matter to court and fight for your compensation there. Again, no need to worry, they will do all the hard work in court!
Overall it is clearly the best idea to contact a specialist injury lawyer after an accident. Whether your injury is minor or major, there will probably be some possibility of compensation, and an injury lawyer is an expert in making sure you receive some. They will make the process easy and help you every step of the way.