- 1. How Much Do You Know About Personal Injury Law and Personal Injury Lawyers?
- 2. Myth #1: It’s going to cost me a lot of money to talk to a personal injury lawyer, and it’s going to cost even more to hire one.
- 3. Myth #2: My insurance will cover all my costs if I’m injured.
- 4. Myth #3: The person responsible for my injuries will have to pay out of their pockets.
- 5. Myth #4: I only have minor injuries, so it’s probably not worth talking to a lawyer.
- 6. Myth #5: I have plenty of time to file a lawsuit if I want to do it later.
- 7. Crosley Law Firm: Helping Texas Personal Injury Victims
5 Common Myths About Personal Injury Law
How Much Do You Know About Personal Injury Law and Personal Injury Lawyers?
Most people don’t spend a lot of time with attorneys, and if they do, it’s usually at a difficult time in their lives. If you’re considering hiring a personal injury attorney, then you’re probably struggling with diagnosis and treatment of serious injuries or even the loss of a loved one. You may be struggling with medical bills that keep piling up, and you may be confused about what you should do when the insurance company keeps calling you or makes a settlement offer that is much lower than you need.
For many people, though, contacting a lawyer for help with these issues can feel intimidating, especially if all they know about attorneys is what they’ve seen in movies or on television.
We want to help you understand lawyers and personal injury law a bit better by dispelling some common myths and misconceptions. We hope this will give you a clearer picture of what personal injury lawyers do and why they do it.
“We hope this will give you a clearer picture of what personal injury lawyers do and why they do it. “
And if you feel like you need to talk to a personal injury attorney, don’t put it off. You can call Crosley Law Firm right now at 210-LAW-3000 | 210-529-3000, or you can simply fill out a convenient online contact form. We offer free consultations to listen to the details of your story and provide you with candid legal advice about what your best course of action is. In fact, that brings us to our first myth.
Myth #1: It’s going to cost me a lot of money to talk to a personal injury lawyer, and it’s going to cost even more to hire one.
The truth: It should be free to talk to your personal injury lawyer, and in Texas, it shouldn’t cost you a single dime to hire a lawyer to work on your personal injury case.
This is a common myth about personal injury lawyers. It started because different types of lawyers have different ways of charging for their services. These are sometimes called “fee structures.” Hiring certain types of lawyers, like a divorce attorney or criminal defense attorney, usually does involve an up-front charge and can be expensive, which is why some people think hiring a lawyer for any type of case will be hard to afford.
However, in personal injury law, the vast majority of attorneys use what’s known as a “contingent fee structure.” With a contingent fee structure, the lawyer agrees to work on your case free of charge and then deducts their fee at the end of the case — but only if they get you a settlement or win your case in court.
“With a contingent fee structure, the lawyer agrees to work on your case free of charge and then deducts their fee at the end of the case — but only if they get you a settlement or win your case in court. “
This is how we do things at Crosley Law Firm. We also pay all your case expenses out of our own pocket. Court filing fees, expert witness consultations, car crash reconstruction, and many other costs can add up quickly. We pay for all of that up front so you can focus on your healing and recovery. As with our fees, we simply deduct expenses at the end of your case — but only if we get you a settlement or win your case in court. We call this our “no-fee policy,” and you can read more about it on our website.
The reason we do things this way is because we believe that everyone has the right to receive outstanding legal representation, whether they can afford it or not. Many of our clients come to us struggling with medical bills, and the last thing they need to worry about is how they are going to pay for a lawyer.
Another reason we do things this way is to align our goals with those of our clients. If we don’t get paid unless we win, that gives everyone on our team even more of a reason to fight hard for our clients. We don’t take on cases we don’t think we can win (which is why we offer free case evaluations), and we chase down every possible lead to make sure our clients get the justice and compensation they deserve.
To make a long story short: it shouldn’t cost you anything to talk to a personal injury lawyer about your situation, and it shouldn’t cost you anything to hire a personal injury attorney to work on your claim. You should only have to pay your lawyer if they get you a settlement or win your case in court.
Myth #2: My insurance will cover all my costs if I’m injured.
The truth: Insurance companies are in it for the profits, and they will pay you the least amount of money possible to make your claim go away.
Many workers in the insurance industry are good people, but every insurance company is primarily concerned with one thing: their bottom line. Injuries from car accidents are a common reason that people end up filing personal injury lawsuits, and it’s not hard to understand why. Each year, insurance companies only pay about 50% of the costs associated with motor vehicle crashes. On the other hand, crash victims end up paying about 26% of motor vehicle crash costs out of their own pockets each year!
So, even with insurance, you’re likely to end up paying, and it could be a lot — even if you’re the victim and your injuries were caused by someone else’s carelessness. That’s simply not fair, but it’s how the system works. And this relates to another common myth about personal injury law.
Myth #3: The person responsible for my injuries will have to pay out of their pockets.
The truth: In almost every personal injury case, it is big, profitable insurance companies that pay for your claim, not the individual responsible.
The reality of many personal injury cases is that the guilty person would often have as much difficulty paying for your medical bills, lost wages, and property damage as you — not to mention compensating you for your pain and suffering. Instead, it is the at-fault person’s insurance that will likely pay your settlement or award.
Even if you are making a personal injury claim against a company (for example, if you are injured on their property), they usually have insurance to cover them. And depending on the unique situation you are in, there may be several different sources of insurance coverage that can be sought to pay for your personal injury claim. If you are hit by a large truck, for example, you may be able to sue the driver, the trucking company, and/or a parts manufacturer to get the compensation you deserve for your losses.
“Depending on the unique situation you are in, there may be several different sources of insurance coverage that can be sought to pay for your personal injury claim.”
At Crosley Law Firm, we pursue every possible avenue of compensation in your case. We’re not afraid to take on big insurance companies, especially if it means getting the justice and compensation an injured victim deserves.
Myth #4: I only have minor injuries, so it’s probably not worth talking to a lawyer.
The truth: Medical bills add up very fast, even for “minor” injuries. If someone else caused your injuries, you should talk to a personal injury lawyer right away.
First, you should never worry about whether it’s worth talking to a personal injury lawyer. At Crosley Law Firm, we offer free consultations so you can talk to a qualified, experienced attorney right away. We are here to help you! We’ve handled hundreds upon hundreds of personal injury cases in Texas, and we have the knowledge and expertise to talk to you and help you understand what your options are — no matter how big or small your case might be.
Second, people tend to downplay their injuries. At the same time, the costs for “minor” injuries can add up fast. According to the CDC, the cost of the average ER visit for a car accident victim is $3,300. Additionally, the average cost if the victim is hospitalized comes to $57,000 over the course of their lifetime, and 75% of those costs arise in the first 18 months after their crash.
In fact, the average personal injury claim award is $28,000 according to the most recent available data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. For many of our clients at Crosley Law Firm, their minor injuries become a major problem. “Minor” sprains and strains often become more painful over time instead of less. Our clients require shots, medication, and physical therapy to treat their injuries. They end up needing surgery. They see several doctors and get multiple tests done over the course of their medical journey, and they try to get answers about why they are experiencing pain, limited range of motion, and other symptoms. They miss work, miss out on their hobbies, and may even struggle with psychological or emotional issues such as PTSD after being injured.
Those costs all add up — and if someone else caused your injury, you never would have had to pay for any of them.
For these reasons and many others, it’s important to talk to a personal injury attorney like the ones at Crosley Law Firm as soon as possible after you’re injured.
Myth #5: I have plenty of time to file a lawsuit if I want to do it later.
The truth: A time limit known as a “statute of limitations” usually starts counting down the moment you get injured. Once two years pass, you can no longer file a personal injury lawsuit.
It’s not uncommon for us to meet with a client during one of our free consultations only to discover that their injuries occurred too long ago for them to file a personal injury claim. Often, this comes as devastating news after the costs associated with their injuries have grown into a huge burden over time.
Two years may seem like a long time, but it goes by faster than most people think. And if your injuries start out minor and get worse over time, it’s easy to focus on finding out what’s wrong and getting better; the last thing on most people’s minds when they have been injured is filing a lawsuit.
While there are some circumstances that can extend the time frame you have available to file a lawsuit, they are limited and usually complex. This is yet another reason why it’s important to talk to a lawyer right away if you have been injured.
Crosley Law Firm: Helping Texas Personal Injury Victims
Here at Crosley Law Firm, we want people to understand how the law works, and we don’t want people to hesitate if they are thinking of contacting an attorney. If you have been injured or lost a loved one because of someone else’s carelessness, we are here to help.
Call our offices at 210-LAW-3000 | 210-529-3000 or fill out our convenient online contact form so we can get back to you right away and schedule a free consultation. We are here to listen to your story and help you make a smart decision about what you should do. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can start investigating your case — so don’t wait. Let’s talk about your situation today.
References
Abrams, L. (2013, February 28). How much does it cost to go to the ER? The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/02/how-much-does-it-cost-to-go-to-the-er/273599/
CDC report shows motor vehicle crash injuries are frequent and costly. (2014, October 7). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p1007-crash-injuries.html
Civil cases. (2017, August 22). Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=45
Cost of auto crashes & statistics. (2015). Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. Retrieved from http://www.rmiia.org/auto/traffic_safety/Cost_of_crashes.asp
The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.
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Crosley Law Firm, PC is a professional corporation of trial lawyers focused on representing individuals and families who have suffered serious personal injuries or wrongful death.