There are a lot of misconceptions out there about personal injury attorneys. Many people are reluctant to seek out legal representation after a car or truck accident, or other personal injury incident, because of stories they’ve heard or what they’ve seen on TV. Often, they’re particularly concerned about the costs associated with hiring a personal injury lawyer.
At Crosley Law Firm, we want to put those fears to rest, because the right lawyer can make a world of difference when it comes to the success of personal injury cases. Because we care deeply about our clients and community, we know it’s important to outline exactly what that difference is.
In this post we’ll discuss the benefits of working with a personal injury law firm, and how it can impact your personal injury claim for the better. And—spoiler alert—it’s far more affordable than you might think.
The Benefits of Legal Representation for Your Personal Injury Claim
Assumptions about cost, timelines, and more lead some injured people to tackle personal injury claims on their own. Later, they realize the situation is more complex than anticipated. Then, when they finally do talk to an attorney, they discover that everything would have been simpler if they’d done that in the first place.
Sadly, sometimes waiting too long to get an attorney involve means permanent loss of access to evidence and witnesses, missed deadlines, and other mistakes that significantly jeopardize the chances of a successful recovery.
Let’s talk about the specific ways a personal injury lawyer can benefit your case right from the get-go.
Assumptions about cost, timelines, and more lead some injured people to tackle personal injury claims on their own. Later, they realize the situation is more complex than anticipated.
Not Having to Interact with the Insurance Companies
In most states (including Texas), the at-fault party’s insurance policy compensates the injured person for their damages. Before that money is handed over, however, the insurance company investigates the incident and resulting injuries, pain, and suffering experienced by the injured party.
Make no mistake: their goals are to minimize how much they pay and close the claim as quickly as possible, not to ensure generous and compassionate compensation.
For the average person, being on the other side of those negotiations is a lot to handle. An insurance adjuster is trained to sound like your friend when you talk to them, but in reality, they’re trying to get you to say anything that might jeopardize your claim, or at least reduce the amount the insurance company will have to pay out.
An experienced personal injury lawyer is familiar with these tactics and, unlike the insurance company, has plenty of reasons to help you get full and fair compensation.
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More Time to Focus on Your Recovery
Managing a personal injury case successfully is a time-consuming process. As you likely know, healing (physically, mentally, and emotionally) from an injury is also very time-consuming. For you, the most important thing is to focus on getting better.
That’s difficult to do when you’re negotiating with the insurer, scrambling to prove how your life has changed, and slogging through legal codes and jargon. Fortunately, that kind of complex, focused work is exactly what a personal injury attorney is trained for, and loves to do—giving you the time you need to focus on healing.
Support in Claiming Non-Economic Damages
Gathering documentation of your medical costs, lost income, and other measurable, economic damages might be relatively straightforward if you’re careful about recording and keeping the receipts. But these aren’t the only kinds of losses you may be eligible to be compensated for.
Personal injury claims often include non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of opportunity. Unlike economic costs, these aren’t so easily measured or proven, and different insurance companies may make inaccurate or unfair assumptions when estimating them.
Your personal injury attorney understands how these losses are typically calculated and has a better chance of negotiating them with the insurance company than you do on your own.
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Expertly Negotiated Medical Bills
You shouldn’t have to pay any medical costs when you’ve been injured by someone else’s negligence, particularly while your personal injury case is ongoing. However, providers will often file medical liens requiring you to pay them back directly out of your settlement or jury award, before you can take any for yourself.
Unfortunately, in some cases this can leave the injured person and their family with little to nothing left over, particularly in catastrophic injury situations where the costs of care exceed liability insurance limits. The obvious question here is this: Why should you fight for more money if it’s just going to be taken away from you anyway?
A personal injury lawyer not only fights to get maximum compensation for your claim, but also negotiates with health care providers to settle your medical debt for a reduced amount. Every dollar saved here means more money back in your pocket to help rebuild your life.
RELATED: Negotiating Medical Bills: How a Lawyer Can Help After a Crash
A personal injury lawyer not only fights to get maximum compensation for your claim, but also negotiates with health care providers to settle your medical debt for a reduced amount.
Peace of Mind
For so many injured people and their families, the complexities and uncertainties of the claims process are the hardest parts of getting “back to normal” after an accident. If you take on a personal injury case alone, you may constantly worry that you’re missing something or didn’t understand important details.
When you work with a personal injury attorney, a lot of that worry is calmed. You can rest easy, knowing that an experienced professional is taking care of the heavy lifting and red tape. Best of all, a peaceful mind is an important part of your physical healing.
If you take on a personal injury case alone, you may constantly worry that you’re missing something or didn’t understand important details.
A Larger Settlement
It’s common for an at-fault party’s insurance company to quickly contact injured people and offer what they hope sounds like a fair settlement. The idea is that you take the money, and that’s the last they hear of it. The problem is that those settlement offers tend to be far less than injured people actually need rebuild their lives.
Your best bet is to avoid speaking to the at-fault party’s insurer and let a personal injury lawyer do the talking instead. Attorneys are experts who stay up to date on recent changes to the law. They’ve worked on hundreds or even thousands of cases and know exactly what information they need and how to get it. They have networks of other attorneys, consultants, and expert witnesses to help them build and make a case for each one of their clients.
All that to say, they have tools their clients don’t, and use them to demand and secure more money than most people could on their own—even after considering lawyer’s fees. While it’s true that getting your compensation will probably take longer when a personal injury lawyer is involved, that timeline is worth the wait.
Lawyers have tools their clients don’t, and use them to demand and secure more money than most people could on their own—even after considering lawyer’s fees.
Contingency Fees and What They Mean for Personal Injury Claims
It’s normal to be concerned about costs when you hire an attorney. Fortunately, with the way most personal injury lawyers work, you won’t even have to pay anything out of your own pocket. This holds true whether or not you file a personal injury lawsuit or go to trial.
Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. That means they only get paid if they secure your settlement or jury award. Further, legal fees come out of that settlement or award. For many people, this is a huge relief and makes hiring a law firm well worth it.
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It’s normal to be concerned about costs when you hire an attorney. Fortunately, with the way most personal injury lawyers work, you won’t even have to pay anything out of your own pocket.
Crosley Law Is a Leading Personal Injury Attorney in San Antonio
Crosley Law is honored to help injured people get justice in San Antonio, and we’re ready to hear your story. If you or someone you love is facing injuries, mounting medical expenses, and pain because of someone else’s negligence in a car accident or other incident, now’s the time to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer.
We always offer free case reviews at the beginning of any attorney-client relationship. If we represent you in your personal injury claim, we won’t charge a penny unless you receive a settlement or we win your case in court. Call to set up your free consultation at (210) LAW-3000 | (210) 529-3000 or use the easy contact form on our website. We look forward to hearing from you!
The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.
