4 Things You Must Know Before Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit

According to reports, more people die in car crashes each year in the United States than in other high-income countries. While that statistics is not enviable, it’s the reality of things.

This reality also points to another thing: as efficient as we think the system is, many still lose their lives to the recklessness or carelessness of others. And most times, these perpetrators get away with it.

This often leads to tragic experiences like loss of loved ones, loss of income or inability to go to work for a period of time, or inability to pay for medication or hospital bills.

Nobody should have to go through all these pain all alone.

Do you know somebody who was recently involved in a car accident and is seeking to file a lawsuit? Or have you been involved in an accident where it was completely the fault of the other party, and then you’re seeking redress in court?

There are certain things you need to know before filing a personal injury lawsuit:

1. Consulting with a personal injury attorney

While this sounds like a no-brainer, it’s still worthy of mention. The only way you can be assured of getting the guilty party to cover your injury expenses is to employ the services of a good personal injury lawyer.

If you or someone you know has suffered injuries in accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the party at fault. But, according to Sherwin Arzani, a car accident attorney in Los Angeles, “The time following an accident can be incredibly stressful. An attorney can be a great source of information and comfort as you struggle to recover.”

While insurance companies will want to settle by paying you next to nothing, a solid personal injury attorney will help push your case and help you fight to recover the maximum amount of compensation to which you are entitled.

2. Necessary details

Truth be told, your personal injury attorney can only do so much with what he’s provided with. That in essence means the more information you furnish your attorney with, the more information you arm him/her with.

But what kind of information are we looking at? Hospital bills, receipts, and detailed explanations from eye witnesses, if possible. All these will only serve to make sure that you win the case and get all that’s entitled to you.

3. Contingency fee

You know you have to agree with your newly chosen personal injury attorney as regards the fees to be paid. Most attorneys handle cases on a contingency fee basis.

This means that you pay them nothing for their services upfront. If they can help you recover money or get the at-fault party to pay damages, they get a certain percentage.

So, if you’ve been thinking of how much you’ll have to part with to get an attorney to represent you, put your mind at ease. The percentages usually vary, so you’ll do well to speak to your personal injury attorney about it.

4. Giving recorded statements

Most times, the insurance company will ask or get somebody to ask you to give a recorded statement. This is in a bid to get you to say something that will reduce the value of your claim.

Because most of these insurance companies’ agents are trained to ask those “curve-ball”, tricky questions, it’s highly suggested that you do not talk to anyone else apart from your attorney about the incident.

This way, you can avoid shooting yourself in the foot and also avoid being taken advantage of.

If you have suffered an injury as a result of the negligence of another party, do not suffer in silence. Arm yourself with the points shared in this article; you’ll definitely increase your chance of getting a well-deserved compensation.