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| Image by Claim Accident Services from Pixabay |
If you have been involved in a motor vehicle or slip and fall accident, your first phone call should be to a personal injury attorney.
Attempting to handle a personal injury case on your own is a mistake; the steady hand of a skilled personal injury attorney should be involved from day one to ensure maximum recovery is realized by a plaintiff. Below are five reasons why hiring a personal injury lawyer is the right move every time:
1. Contingent Fees
Retaining a personal injury attorney does not cost you any money. Personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, essentially making them your partner. In this regard, the personal injury attorney is motivated to obtain the maximum amount of money for you because that means they receive maximum compensation as well. If your case does not settle or if you do not receive a favorable jury verdict, the personal injury attorney does not get paid.
2. Experience
By far the most important reason to retain a personal injury attorney is experience. You may be involved in one or two motor vehicle accidents or slip and fall accidents in your life where you sustain serious injuries. Personal injury attorneys handle literally hundreds of cases similar to yours on a daily basis. You cannot put a price on the experience that a personal injury attorney brings to the table from the time of initial consultation through trial.
3. Encouragement
Do not underestimate this factor. Often, personal injury cases take years to resolve, often by design of the defendant's insurance carrier. This "war of attrition" has the effect of wearing down a plaintiff, who often considers accepting a less than favorable settlement just "to get it over with".
This is where the personal injury attorney must take on the role of counselor and de facto "coach", offering encouragement to a plaintiff who is worn down from lengthy and strenuous rehabilitation and possibly years of a long, drawn-out (and unfamiliar) process. An experienced attorney knows this is a tactic employed by the defense, and must encourage his or her client to stay the course until the very end.
4. Medical Treatment
Personal injury attorneys work with clients who are suffering from similar injuries to yours on a daily basis. Soft tissue neck and back injuries are the most common injuries that personal injury attorneys see day to day. These types of cases require expert care and attention and a unique form of devotion that only a personal injury attorney can offer.
This is because a personal injury attorney regularly works with chiropractors, physical therapists, diagnostic facilities, hospitals and expert witnesses as they build a client's case in preparation for settlement or trial. This is a skill developed over time that a plaintiffs simply is not prepared to undertake, if for no other reason than because they are rehabilitating from painful and sometimes permanent personal injuries.
5. Reputation
When a plaintiff has retained a reputable and formidable personal injury attorney to represent their interests, the opposing insurance carrier and counsel stand up and take notice.
Personal injury attorneys are trained to fight vigorously for their clients' rights from the very first day they are retained. Personal injury matters require the expert care and attention that only a trained professional can provide. Plaintiffs should be far more concerned with rehabilitating their injuries than dealing with insurance carriers, doctors' offices, court personnel, and opposing counsel. It is time consuming, frustrating and will slow down the recovery process due to the stress alone.
