A personal injury lawyer helps you cope with challenging times and get back on your feet if you have suffered injuries due to someone else’s wrongdoing. A personal injury lawyer does this by helping you recover monetary compensation for your losses.
Have you been injured in a car accident, slip and fall, or due to medical malpractice?
If so, continue reading this blog post. It discusses what a personal injury can do for you to get through this difficult time.
How Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Assist in Improving Your Situation?
A personal injury lawyer handles the entire legal process to get you the compensation you deserve. Said legal process includes the following steps:
Filing Your Claim With Your Insurer
If you live in a no-fault state, the law likely requires you to file your claim with your insurer first. For example, Florida is a no-fault state. So, when you are involved in an accident anywhere in Florida, like Sarasota, you must file your claim with your insurer first. Your Sarasota personal injury lawyers will file your claim with your insurer under personal injury protection (PIP).
If PIP is not sufficient to cover your losses, then they will file your claim with the at-fault driver’s insurer. However, some no-fault states allow you to skip this step and directly file your claim with the at-fault driver’s insurer.
Filing Your Claim With At-Fault Driver’s Insurer
Most states follow the at-fault system. It means whoever is responsible for the other’s losses must compensate them. So, if you live in an at-fault state, you must file your claim with the at-fault driver’s insurer.
A personal injury lawyer can determine the best options for filing your claim that can provide you the maximum compensation for your losses.
Negotiate Your Claim With the Insurance Company
Filing your claim with the insurance company is not enough. Although insurance companies advertise that they will help you in a difficult time, they might reject your claim.
They are profit-making entities and try their best to lowball or even deny your claim so they can increase their profit.
Since personal injury lawyers deal with insurance companies on a regular basis, they understand their tactics. They can collect crucial evidence to strengthen your case.
They can negotiate your claim with the insurance company and make them pay the compensation you deserve for your losses.
File Your Lawsuit
A personal injury lawyer can file a lawsuit for you if the insurance company does not settle your claim for a fair amount. They can represent your interests in court and convince the jury to award you fair compensation.
To pursue your personal injury claim in court, your lawyer needs to complete the following tasks:
- Prepare your paperwork and file it in a court that has jurisdiction
- The discovery process is where both parties share crucial information and evidence.
- Negotiate your claim with the respondent. The court provides a chance for both parties to settle the claim in mediation or arbitration.
- If the negotiation fails, you will go to trial.
In summary, a personal injury lawyer handles all the legal processes to recover compensation on your behalf so you can focus on your recovery.
What Damages Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help You Recover?
The law divides damages into two types:
- Economic: It includes medical expenses, lost wages, and property damages.
- Non-economic: It includes pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
A personal injury lawyer can help you recover monetary compensation for both types of damages.
Fee Structure of a Personal Injury Lawyer
Most personal injury law firms work on a contingency basis. That means you do not have to pay them any fees unless they obtain compensation for you.
They take a predetermined percentage from your compensation. Their percentage varies depending on their reputation and success record. Most personal injury lawyers charge anywhere from 30% to 40% of your compensation. However, they may require you to pay procedural fees like the paperwork photocopy fee and court fees.
Conclusion
A personal injury lawyer helps you recover the compensation you deserve for the injuries you sustained due to someone else’s negligence. They assist you in:
- Navigating the legal process
- Gathering evidence
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Representing you in court if necessary
If you sustained injuries due to someone’s negligence, contact a personal injury lawyer.
Source: Gerber Law Group, Sarasota
