If you’ve been injured through no fault of your own, you need to hire a good personal injury lawyer to help you get compensation. A personal injury claim is an action you take to get money to pay for your medical bills and make up for lost wages and income. While you might be able to do some of the work yourself, a personal injury lawyer will have the experience and credentials to make the process go more smoothly. Insurance companies are also more likely to listen to a lawyer and negotiate with them than they would with an ordinary person.
To find a personal injury attorney, ask for recommendations. You can go to people you know or look for reviews online. However, make sure that you find a lawyer that specializes in personal injury. Other lawyers might not have the expertise necessary to make the process go successfully. Talk to a few lawyers and make sure that they are a good fit for you. Then, once you find the right personal injury lawyer, you can begin the process of filing a claim.
If you could go back to the day before the accident you would. It had been a great morning, the kids had gotten ready for school with no problems at all. You arrived at the office safe and ready for a full day of work. Unfortunately, someone had spilled a bucket of water in the dark hallway that leads to your cube. And just like that, everything changed. The fall that landed you on your tailbone has been difficult to recover from. In fact, no morning is easy anymore. The pain pills you have to take to help you sleep through the night leave you groggy in the morning. And even the simplest of tasks take longer than they should. Now that you realize that 85% of worker?s compensation claims are attributed to employees slipping on slick floors, you wish you would have been prepared with the right questions to ask personal injury lawyer, instead of taking a quick Workmen’s Compensation settlement from the HR department.
Do you know the questions to ask personal injury lawyer if you are hurt on the job? At the minimum, you should be prepared to discuss the following with a local attorney:
- Do you provide a free consultation? It should not cost you money to make an inquiry about your personal injury case.
- Do you work on a contingency basis? Choosing a personal injury firm that works on a contingent fee basis ensures that you won’t pay for the attorney’s time unless they make a recovery on your behalf. The average amount awarded in a punitive damage lawsuit is nearly $50,000. Your selected attorney can take fees out of the amount awarded, not your pocket.
- How many years has your firm been practicing personal injury law? While some firms will advertise their combined years of experience, this may just refer to several attorneys combining their years together to make it look like the firm has practiced more years than it really has. Find out how many years the law firm itself has been practicing personal injury.
- Do I have responsibilities while you work on my case? Other than keeping doctor’s appointments and following medical instructions for your treatment, you should be doing very little work for your own case.
- Do you work with experts or professionals that can provide strength to my case? Personal injury cases involving traumatic injuries require testimony from experts in a variety of fields. Does the law firm you select have successful working relationships with experts in the medical, economic and reconstruction fields?
- How often will your firm provide me with updates about the status of my case? The attorney should be able to tell you how their office handles a case from its beginning until its end. The firm should be able to diagram for you every stage of a case.
Workplace falls are common. In fact, falls account for over 8 million hospital emergency room visits, and they represent the leading cause of visits, averaging nearly 21.3%. Slips and falls account for another 1 million visits, or 12% of total falls. While the fall itself is somewhat common, what you do about that fall is what will likely make a big difference in your financial future. Make sure you know the questions to ask personal injury lawyer.
