Monday 18 March 2013

The many ways a personal injury lawyer can help you after an accident

By Andrew Marley


Even the most careful of us will occasionally be involved in an accident. Often it is a case of pure misfortune and usually there are no serious consequences. in fact most of the time, any injuries are slight and any inconvenience is minimal. However, in a few cases, an accident can have life changing consequences for the victim. The injuries could take a long time to recover from or be permanent. These injuries could require intensive or long-term care and incur significant costs. These situations can also have long lasting effects on friends and family. If the accident wasn't the fault of the victim, personal injury law is designed to help, by providing compensation for the injuries and, if necessary, supplying a fund to pay for future care. There are any number of accidents that occur - traffic accidents, faulty products, workplace accidents and incidents of negligence, all of which could have painful results for the victim.

The sufferer may be subject to physical or psychological pain due to the injury. Personal injury laws entitle the injured person to receive compensation to cover medical bills, lost income, physical disability, emotional trauma, property damage, and so on. The types of damages are usually split into three: Actual damages, General damages and Speculative damages. Actual damages refers to the direct impact of the accident that can easily be measured in money - for example loss of earnings, loss of items and damages to property. General damages refers to pain and suffering and is often more subjective.Speculative damages refers to the costs of treatment in the future and will usually involve medical assessments.

It is really important that you find a good personal injury lawyer if you have been injured in an accident. Do not use a general legal practitioner for these kind of cases. Personal injury law is constantly being updated and it is important that you hire a lawyer who is abreast of any recent developments. Try searching the internet for a specialist legal practice who have personal injury experts. When you contact them, don't be afraid to ask those questions which are important to you. In some cases, the websites will have a contact form that you can fill out with the details of the accident and your injuries. Most lawyers who work in this area will work on a contingency fee basis. This means that the legal fees are kept to a minimum. You may be advised to pay a small amount to insure your case. This means that if you lose, the insurance will pay the costs. If you win, your lawyer will tend to claim their costs from the losing party and you will receive the full compensation amount.

Although the case is a legal case and you need legal experts to pursue it, personal injury claims don't often appear in court. Court cases can be very expensive and the defendant, or his insurers, may consider it cheaper and quicker to settle out of court. However this only happens because you have a lawyer to hand who is prepared to go to court. It is a false economy to try to pursue a claim without legal support. If the defendant thinks you are fighting the case on your own, they may delay the process or make you a derisory offer. Remember, this compensation is to help you put your life back on track, so you should try to get the best deal you can. Your specialist lawyer will know the best approach to take with the defendant and how best to settle the claim. Whilst a court case is always an option, settling out of court can be quicker and less traumatic for all involved.

The advantage of having a personal injury lawyer is that it relieves the stress surrounding the claim and tends to speed up the process. Once you have supplied all the relevant information to your lawyer, they can embark on pursuing your case to get the best outcome for you. If the defendant is being represented by an insurance company, they will tend to respond more quickly because they know that you are taking the claim seriously and that your lawyer will pursue it right to the end. It will be in their interest to settle the claim more quickly.

The contingency basis upon which most personal injury lawyers are employed - or "No win No fee" as it is more commonly known - has many advantages. Until this option was allowed, only the very rich could afford to take legal action in support of compensation claims and the victims were often fobbed off with smaller amounts than was reasonable. Also, with a motivated lawyer, the cases tend to be settle much more quickly and more satisfactorily. The 'No win No fee' option encourages your lawyer to get the beat deal as quickly as possible for each client.




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