March 21, 2018 | admin When to Call a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you’ve been injured in an accident, you might ask yourself whether you should speak with a personal injury lawyer. You should make that contact as soon as possible, especially in light of the fact that nearly all personal injury lawyers offer free confidential consultations and case reviews. You’ll also want to make that contact before the opposing insurance company contacts you.

The Nature and Extent of Your Injuries
If you were hospitalized, required surgery, physical therapy or rehabilitation, you’ll want to contact a respected personal injury lawyer, and arrange for a free and confidential consultation and case evaluation. If a family member died in an accident, make that call right away. If you haven’t heard from the insurer on the other side of the accident yet, you’ll hear from its adjuster soon.

When You Receive the Phone Call
The adjuster from the opposing insurance company will try to contact you by phone sometime after the accident. You’ll probably be told that he or she “just wants to see how you’re getting along.” That’s a pretext for making the call. The actual purpose of the call is to obtain a recorded statement from you. Then, sometime in the future, that insurer will want to use your own words against you to try and attack your credibility and devalue or even deny your claim. Never give a written or recorded statement to an opposing insurance company without a personal injury lawyer being present. Should the adjuster tell you that you don’t need a lawyer, don’t believe a word of it. He or she is only trying to take control of your claim. If you don’t already have an appointment for a free consultation and case evaluation with a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer, make one right away.

Deadlines
Every state has its own deadline for when you’re required to bring a claim or lawsuit against the person or entity that you blame for your injuries. Depending on what state that you’re in, the claim period could be as short as 60 days, and the time for filing an actual lawsuit could be as short as six months to a year. Quality personal injury lawyers know what time limitations apply to who or what entity caused a personal injury accident. The law is strict on late claim notices or lawsuit filings. Very few exceptions exist. You can be forever barred from proceeding further if you don’t file your personal injury claim or lawsuit before the deadline.

After Legal Fees, You’re Still Likely to Do Better
The Insurance Research Council reports that personal injury claimants who are represented by attorneys receive settlements that are 3.5 times higher than those of claimant’s who go unrepresented. If attorney fees on a contingency fee agreement are calculated at one-third of any sums derived by settlement or a verdict, the claimant usually comes out about twice as well as he or she would have without an attorney.

Get a professional perspective, and contact an experienced and effective personal injury lawyer as soon as you’re injured in any type of accident. Nearly all personal injury lawyers offer free confidential consultations and case reviews. Just about all of them take accident cases on a contingency fee basis too. What that means is that no legal fees at all would be owed if your attorney doesn’t obtain a settlement or verdict for you. Don’t let that insurance company control your claim. You didn’t ask to be a victim, so your side of the case should be in control. There’s no reason not to contact a qualified personal injury lawyer after any accident.