Accident victims often wonder why they need to hire a personal injury attorney to assist them. This is a good question and one that should be explored further. Not hiring an attorney has a unique set of risks. Primarily, without an attorney, a victim will be going up against other lawyers.

The party responsible for the accident is likely to be insured and the insurance company will be obligated to provide legal representation. This is not in your best interest because it means that you get less for your injuries. Hiring an attorney means having an advocate on your side to fight for your rights and help you to receive as much money as possible.

How the process begins

The first step in hiring a personal injury attorney is scheduling a consultation with our office. During that appointment, we will discuss the details of the accident. We will also ask questions about the impact the injuries have on our client and any overall lifestyle difference post-accident. This information will help us to determine the full extent of the accident. We will then come up with a plan for the best way to evaluate and prove it.

Next, we will need to gather evidence that can prove the other party was negligent or at fault for the accident. We will also need to gather proof of the impact the injuries have on our client. We gather this information by working with a physician. Combined with information on lost wages and other financial losses, we can begin to place an initial value on the injury claim.

Negotiations can begin

Once we have valued the claim, we can prepare a demand letter to be sent to the other party and their attorney. This demand letter will ask for a certain amount of compensation. Upon receipt, they will either negotiate by making a counter-offer, accept the offer and agree to pay it or deny responsibility. In most cases, they will make a counteroffer.

The counteroffer allows for negotiations to take place and offers to go back and forth several times until an amount is reached that is mutually agreeable. Having a personal injury attorney handle this process is wise because it is likely that a victim will receive far more compensation this way. Keep in mind that negotiations are non-binding and if the offer is not sufficient, there is no need to accept it.

Going to court

If the other party refuses to settle or does not budge off of their initial low counter-offer, it typically becomes necessary to go to court. In this scenario, having a personal injury attorney represent you is certainly wise. The legal process can be confusing and go to court is certainly intimidating. Get an attorney on your side who can make the case to a jury for why you deserve to be compensated and how the other party was responsible and should have to pay for it.

Call for help

Call our office and schedule a consultation for assistance with your case today.

Note: This is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.