A Personal Injury Lawyer’s Important Activities to Defend Client’s Claims and Interests
Law is a vast field and personal injury is a slice of it. A personal injury lawyer is one of the most sought-after professionals to represent individuals who have sustained injuries in an accident. Personal injury lawyers have specialization and skill in tort law that involves both negligence and well-planned actions.
Personal Injury Cases – Know Different Types
Lion’s share of personal injury cases involves someone’s negligence in connection to the plaintiff’s harm. Personal injury is an umbrella term that covers pedestrian accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, transportation accidents, mass transportation accidents, boating accidents, bike accidents etc. They may also cover premise liability such as, negligent security, animal attacks and bites, slip and fall accidents etc.
Personal injury attorneys also handle medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and construction accidents. Some of these categories have multiple subcategories and all these make personal injury laws more voluminous and complex.
Types of Compensation
Personal injury victims may receive compensation for their damages. The term ‘Damage’ is very inclusive in the sense it encapsulates physical pain, wage loss and even mental trauma and distress. Keep in mind that physical pain and suffering are measurable through medical records but emotional anguish and despair are often unfathomable and remain unproved.
Actions in Sequence
Not all cases follow the same pattern and specific actions taken by the personal injury lawyer are everything to do with the particulars and peculiarities of the case. Some of the actions adopted by the personal injury lawyers to ensure favorable outcomes for their clients are as follows:
Claim Investigation
Personal injury attorneys usually accept a contingency fee. It implies that they charge only after they are able to secure an injury verdict or settlement. As they often finance the cases they undertake, they always make sure to screen their potential clients and evaluate the merits of the case. A personal injury lawyer is most unlikely to take a case that, he or she believes, will not bring the client any benefit.
Evidence Collection
A personal injury lawyer often gets busy collecting evidences to support his client’s claim. It usually involves a lot of legwork and includes approaching police for a detailed accident report. The most difficult and tedious part of evidence gathering is to track down the witnesses at the site of the accident and record their statements. The professional may also take a note of the property damages and other evidences.
Evidences are very useful to establish who was at fault and how much damages the plaintiff has suffered. Evidences cover medical records and reports, bills, employment status and property damage reports.
Negotiation with Insurer
A large fraction of personal injury cases is resolved through successful out-of-the-court negotiations and settlement with the at-fault party and/or his/her insurance company. The lawyer reviews the insurance policy details and figures out the maximum amount of compensation that is possible to extract in such specific types of cases. The lawyer often represents his or her client on negotiation table and prevents the injured from going through heated discussion that might add to the victim’s anguish and frustration.
If you have suffered an accident-related injury, consult a lawyer from Johnston Law Firm, P.C. for valuable advice to determine the possible course of actions to safeguard your interests.