When You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer
Life is full of surprises, both good and bad. Sometimes, these surprises have far-reaching consequences that can turn your life upside-down in an instant. When you are injured in an accident that was not your fault, you might experience immense amounts of pain and serious disability that can keep you from working and enjoying life in the way that you have grown accustomed to. Furthermore, you may face overwhelming medical bills and other expenses that you should never have had to worry about in the first place.
Personal injury claims are a way of seeking compensation for your losses in situations like this. If you have been injured in an accident in the Liberty, MO, area, understanding more about personal injury can help you determine what steps you can take to achieve the justice you deserve.
What Is Personal Injury?
“Personal injury” occurs when an individual is injured due to the negligent actions or inactions of another party. An accident of this type and the resulting injuries and losses fall into the category of “personal injury law.” An action under this type of law usually begins with an insurance claim.
When an injured person files a claim, four factors generally need to be true for them to qualify for compensation:
- The at-fault party owed the injured person a duty of care
- The at-fault party failed in that duty
- This failure created the circumstances that allowed the accident to occur
- The accident was the direct cause of the injured person’s injuries and losses
Our society is based on the idea that we all owe a basic duty of care to our fellow human beings. In the simplest terms, this means that we need to behave in a way that will keep other people from coming to harm. When a person fails to obey traffic laws or does not take reasonable precautions to eliminate safety hazards on their property, for example, their negligence can lead to accidents. These accidents can sometimes cause serious injuries. In these situations, the negligent party, the one who failed to uphold their duty, needs to be held accountable.
Types of accidents that can lead to personal injury cases include:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Workplace accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
In all these types of cases, you may be able to recover compensation for losses, such as:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages due to missed time at work
- Property damage
- Transportation expenses (if you need to travel to seek treatment)
- Physical and psychological pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do?
A personal injury lawyer is a legal professional who helps injured people recover the compensation they deserve for their accident-related injuries. The duties they perform include:
- Consulting with the injured person to learn about how the accident affected them, including the nature and consequences of their injury
- Investigating the facts and circumstances of the accident to gather evidence about how it happened and who is liable
- Negotiating with the at-fault party’s insurance company to reach a settlement that will cover the injured party’s losses
- Taking the at-fault party to court in a personal injury lawsuit if the negotiations do not result in an acceptable settlement
When to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
After being injured in an accident, many people believe that they can handle their personal injury claims on their own. However, this is generally not a good idea for a few reasons:
- Pressure from insurance companies – After an accident, you may soon receive a “courtesy call” from the at-fault party’s insurance adjuster. While this may seem like an act of kindness, it is often an attempt to get you to admit some degree of fault for the incident. Furthermore, they may try to pressure you into accepting a lowball offer that will not cover your losses.
- Reduced compensation – When people negotiate their own settlements, they often receive smaller compensation packages. Insurance companies know that a good lawyer will not accept an amount that is lower than you deserve but might think you’re naïve enough that an unrepresented individual won’t know the difference.
- Technical complications – Personal injury law is full of complexities. People who try to file a claim on their own might overlook certain necessary steps or deadlines.
In short, you should hire a personal injury lawyer any time you are contemplating filing a claim. If you have already filed on your own, it is not too late to get the professional help you need today.
Contact an Experienced Liberty Personal Injury Attorney
If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, you deserve compensation for the losses you have suffered. The experienced personal injury attorneys at House Packard McElderry, LLC have made it our mission to maximize recovery for our clients, minimize their bills and stress, and help them move forward after the accident turned their lives upside-down.
Our lawyers have many decades of combined experience successfully serving injured people in Missouri, and we are ready to do the same for you. Call us today at (816) 381-9105 or contact us online for a free consultation.