Anytime you turn on the TV, pick up a newspaper, or go online, you will see reports of personal injury lawsuits. When you consider that there are close to half a million (400,000) personal injury torts every year, this isn’t too surprising.
However, why exactly are people hiring lawyers? Aren’t personal injuries, well, personal? Is hiring a lawyer necessary, and what does it achieve? Today, we’ll be answering these questions and shining some light on the key role that personal injury lawyers play in our society.
It Makes Things More Convenient
Have you ever been in a situation where you were moderately or severely hurt due to negligence by a third party? It’s not a pleasant experience, and your mind becomes preoccupied with caring for yourself and healing.
The last thing anyone wants to do is start negotiating and arguing about who was at fault, who is liable, and what sort of compensation needs to be doled out. It’s even worse if you are an introvert or someone who doesn’t know how to handle such conversations.
This is where the convenience of hiring a personal injury lawyer comes into play. It ensures that you can hand over the messy situation to an expert and have it handled properly. As Russell & Hill, PLLC states, personal injury cases can often be complex with multiple factors in play.
However, your lawyer can handle all the tricky parts, such as tracking down witnesses, dealing with insurance representatives, calculating the damages you are eligible for, and ensuring thorough documentation. Thus, convenience is one of the key reasons that people choose to hire personal injury lawyers.
The legal experience they bring to the table in handling the many details is also an obvious key factor.
They Need The Money To Handle Hospital Bills
Sometimes, even if you aren’t too keen on holding the party that hurt you accountable, other factors may force your hand. Medical bills can come as a shock, even for people with insurance. For those without insurance, the cost of treating a broken leg can reach anywhere between $17,000 and $35,000.
If you don’t have the means to pay for that, your only option might be to seek compensation from the responsible party. How will you do this from a hospital bed? Are you going to send your wife, husband, parents, or kids on your behalf? No, that’s messy, and it gives the other party a heads-up that you are coming for them.
The better option would be to hire a personal injury lawyer and have them deal with the issue from the start. The last thing you want to do is try and confront the responsible party, making demands in anger. You risk making your case more difficult to win, which is why it’s best to let the professionals deal with things.
Hire a good personal injury lawyer and focus on resting up so that you are fit to stand in court if it comes to a trial. In most cases, though, your lawyer will attempt to settle out of court, which is perfectly fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Do Personal Injury Lawyers Cost?
While each lawyer or law firm will have different fees based on their experience and skill, there are some predictable trends. In most cases, the cost of a personal injury lawyer adds up to about one-third of the settlement.
So if you end up winning a settlement of $50,000, the lawyer or firm will take a little over $16,000 as their fee. That may seem high, but when you consider the alternative of receiving nothing at all, it’s perfectly alright.
How Long Does It Take to Win a Personal Injury Case?
This is highly subjective due to the number of variable factors in each case. According to Forbes Advisor, even the discovery process can range from many months to even years in some cases.
However, if your case doesn’t have any problematic variables, such as deliberate efforts by insurance companies to delay settlements or even court backlogs, it could be done in under a year.
In conclusion, personal injury cases aren’t always going to be complicated. Most of the time, the other party knows they messed up and will be eager to settle quickly. This is especially the case if they are a business, as no one wants to risk bad publicity these days.
That said, you never know when complications arise in a seemingly straightforward case. In those moments, you will be glad that you chose to seek legal help and that you aren’t handling things on your own.
